Fighting Back
by Haitus80
Summary: Carol finds herself playing the role of rescuer when she learns that Daryl was left behind at Woodbury. She teams up with an unlikely character as she fights to keep her group safe from the Governor.
1. Chapter 1

**This is the first time I've ever posted anything on here. I've read a lot of The Walking Dead fanfiction but never really considered writing any until I started telling my sister about this idea for a good story. She told me I should go ahead and put it on here. I had to write it on paper first because I'm weird like that and now, after a lot of loose leaf paper and a disgusting looking writers callous on my middle finger, I've decided to finally post the first chapter. I have four written so far. I hardened up some characters and softened up others. I went with what I would like to see Carol become as the show progresses. She's pretty hard core. Just a warning, when I say hardened up some characters that is exactly what I mean. Carol is still Carol but there is an edge here that some of you probably wont like. But this is just an idea that had been swimming around in my head that I really wanted to write. Some will hate it and that's okay but I hope others enjoy it. Oh, and I, unfortunately, do not own any of the characters or the show itself. Rated M for Language and future smut. **

Chapter One

Carol crossed her arms over her chest and leaned her hip into the stainless steal counter. It hadn't been forty eight hours since Daryl had found her in the storage closet but it felt to her like much longer. Hershel was astounded by how quick she had recovered. But that was the way they had to be now. No one had time to lay around. There was too much that needed to be done. After some food, lots of water, a much needed shower and a little rest she felt strong enough to take on a herd of Walkers.

She rolled her eyes and sighed heavily as she went to the sink. No Walkers for her today. Instead she would have to make due with tackling the mess that the rest of the group had left. She was pretty sure that no one had bothered to do any cleaning while she was on her three day hiatus. The prison was grim enough as it was. The fact that it was filthy didn't help matters any. With another weary sigh she began the tedious task of getting the kitchen back in order.

"Need some help?" Someone asked from behind her. The old Carol would have flinched at the sudden sound. But she wasn't the old Carol. She hadn't been since last winter.

She turned her head slowly, blue eyes narrowing slightly as she dropped the rag and once again crossed her arms over her chest. "I believe I can manage on my own, Axel."

He stood in the doorway and eyed her from head to toe. It made her skin crawl. "Well, maybe when you get finished up in here we can take ourselves a walk around the yard."

"No." She turned back around and hoped he would finally get the hint. It seemed like ever since he found out that she wasn't a lesbian he thought there was a chance that she would return his interest. It wasn't going to happen.

"You know, I'm startin' to think that maybe you warned me away from Beth because you might be a slight bit jealous."

Carol almost laughed. Almost. Instead she spun around and glared at him. Was this guy serious? He was grinning which caused that ridiculous mustache of his widen over his lips. "Get the hell out of my kitchen, Axel, before I'm forced to remove you physically." She smiled a little as she let her hand rest on the hilt of the knife that hung from her belt. Yeah, definitely not the same Carol.

The grin slipped. "Fine," He muttered as he turned to leave the kitchen.

"Hey," Carol called before he was out of sight. He turned, a hopeful look in his eyes. "Stay the hell away from Beth. I don't know if you have noticed but Carl is real close to shooting you over that girl."

He frowned. "Carl and Beth? But he's just a boy."

"And she's just a girl. You best not forget that." She turned again, ending the conversation.

As she carried on with her work her thoughts drifted to the newcomers. She was usually leery of new people, especially since the world had turned to shit, but there was something about the new groups leader that made her more curious than afraid. Despite his intimidating size he seemed to be a good man. Just someone trying to survive this new world the best way he could while also trying to keep his family alive.

She had found herself gravitating towards the new group throughout the day until finally she just decided to strike up a conversation with the big man. He was friendly and open and it was pretty refreshing. She wasn't used to that. Most of the time her group was always quiet, thoughtful. Not really wasting much energy on idle chat. She really enjoyed talking which was another thing that she hadn't done much of before. So she spent quite a lot of her day in conversation with Tyreese, despite the warning looks she was getting from Carl and Beth.

She was worried about the new group and what Rick and Daryl would have to say when they finally came home. Rick seemed to be better but from what Beth had told her he had had a complete meltdown when he found out Lori hadn't made it. She knew that it mostly came from guilt and the fact that it was Carl who had ended it for her. Anyone would have had a hard time after that. It still wasn't easy to guess what his reaction would be to these new developments. She did, however, know exactly what Daryl's reaction was going to be. He was going to be furious. She laughed to herself when she pictured the fit he would undoubtedly throw once he got back. Especially when she was going to have a few things to say about it herself. She thought they should stay. It wasn't easy to find good people in this world and they needed numbers to survive. Their numbers had dwindled over the last year leaving the rest of the group more vulnerable. And it wasn't that long ago that Rick had plead his case to Hershel on the farm. She was definitely going to stand behind the new comers in this inevitable fight.

"Maybe not, though." She said out loud to the empty room. Maybe if she could just talk to Daryl before anyone else got a hold of his ear. He was getting better at listening to reason, at least if it came from her. But she knew that even she had only a slim chance at getting through to him over something like this. He didn't trust anyone. At least not anyone that wasn't a part of this group and even that had taken a lot of time and a lot of blood. But in his eyes, and to the rest of them, they were family. And he was extremely protective of them all.

The one she needed to convince the most was Rick. He had nominated himself as the official leader of their group but if she could get Daryl on her side then it wouldn't be as hard for her to convince Rick. If anyone could convince Daryl it was her, and if anyone could convince Rick it was Daryl.

She was wiping down the last counter when she looked up at the dirty windows and saw that night was receding into the dull blue of dawn. Her stomach clinched painfully. She was sure that they would have been back before daybreak.

She swallowed down the familiar panic that was trying to overwhelm her. How many times did they go out? And every time she had to force the thoughts of them not returning from her mind. They were strong. They would come home. "Stay safe." Those words bounced around frantically in her mind. Those were the last words he had muttered to her right before they had left to go rescue Glen and Maggie. It had never even occurred to her to tell him to do the same.

She shook her head as though that could loosen the panic she was feeling. He was a Dixon. The only thing that could kill a Dixon was a Dixon. That was something else he had told her a hundred times. She repeated those words to herself like a mantra. This time, for reasons she didn't understand, they didn't make her feel any better. This wasn't just a hunting trip. It wasn't a quick trek into town for supplies. They were actually going on a mission. A dangerous one that held more dangerous foes than mere Walkers. Walkers couldn't shoot. She leaned against the counter and started chewing her thumbnail nervously as she glanced occasionally at the brightening windows.

She wasn't aware of how long she had stood there like that but eventually she heard tires on the gravel outside. She let out a ragged breath and hurried down the dark hallway towards their cell block. The flashlight was slick in her sweaty hands and she slowed her pace, knowing they would all just roll their eyes at her worrying like that. They'd see it in her face. Well, Daryl would anyway. She didn't know about the others.

By the time she made her way through the doorway she had calmed herself down considerably. They were filing into the cell block slowly. Glen was leaning heavily into Rick, his face swollen and bloody, his chest bare. Maggie was helping a limping Michonne. All of their faces were grim and she couldn't help but notice that none of them, not even the new woman, would look at her. She reminded herself to breath as she watched them. Carl and Beth were filling Rick in on what had happened while they had been away. She kept glancing at the doorway, expecting him to come through. Hershel lead Glen and Maggie away to get Glen patched up and Beth held out a hand to a reluctant Michonne. Eventually she let the girl help her up and they followed Hershel and the others out of the room.

"We are gonna need all the manpower we can get. If you all agree that they are okay then go get them. We're gonna need their help." Rick said to Carl. As Carl hurried out of the room Rick finally looked up at her, his eyes seemed desperate. Silently pleading for her to understand.

"Where is he?" Carol kept her voice calm, revealing nothing of her turmoil. She had learned from the best.

"I'm sorry, Carol." Ricks voice was barely a whisper but the words rang in her ears as though he had shouted them at her. As her heart pounded and her stomach turned she forced her expression to remain calm.

"Sorry for what, Rick?"

Rick dropped his head and shook it back and forth but didn't say anything right away.

"Dead?" She asked as a cold knot formed in her chest. She was having trouble catching her breath and her cool facade started to crumble. It felt like her chest was wrapped in steal bands. She hadn't felt such loss since the farm. She hadn't thought that she would ever feel that way again. But she was feeling it now, and now there wasn't anyone to run too.

"We don't know that. Not for sure." He hissed as he took a few steps towards her. She didn't back down from him the way she would have before. Instead she squared her shoulders as her eyes flashed coldly.

"What do you mean, we don't know that? Either he's dead or he got left behind. Which is it, Rick?" She tried hard to keep her voice level. But she didn't need him to answer the question. She already knew by the defeated look he was giving her. They had left him. If he was dead then he would have told her outright. She couldn't be angry at Glen or Maggie. They were both lucky to be alive themselves, but Rick? She clenched her fists in anger.

He scrubbed at his haggard face with his hands before meeting her eyes again. "You don't understand. After we finally found Glen and Maggie it was chaos. Right when we were about to make a break for it he just took off. He said he was gonna lay down some cover fire..." His voice trailed off as he stared at her. "But I don't think that is what he was doing at all. I think once he was sure we were gonna make it out of there he went after Merle. We waited for hours once we got out. He never came."

"Merle? As in Merle Dixon? You're kidding." Carol's heart sank. She didn't want Merle dead. Not really. He was just a class A jerk. But she saw what Daryl was like with him around. In the beginning. He was nothing like that now. With Merle in his life things could unravel. All the progress he had made in the last year. All gone. And she knew what Merle would have to say about her. Would her best friend abandon her for his real family?

Rick nodded. "Merle's the one that did that to Glen. Said it was payback for Atlanta. Once Daryl found out that Merle was alive I should have known he would go after him. But what could I do?"

"What about Oscar?" Axel asked from behind Carol. She hadn't even realized that Oscar hadn't come in with the others.

Rick sat heavily in one of the mismatched chairs. "He didn't make it, Axel. He went down as we were going over the wall. Maggie put him down so he wouldn't turn."

Axel simply nodded and left the room.

"So, we need to go back out there. Tonight. We have to go get him." Carol said as she finally let hope loosen the bands around her chest. She took a deep breath.

"We will. But not tonight. Glen and Michonne are both injured. We are all exhausted and there has to be someone here to protect the prison. You don't understand the firepower these men have. It's only gonna be a matter of time before they regroup and come here to kill us all. I need to talk to this new group and feel them out. We can make a trade. They can help us get Daryl back and we can let them stay on here. As long as they are good people and Carl tells me they are."

"So we leave him there while you rest up?" Carol snapped. She crossed the few feet that was separating them, he stood up from the chair. She was so close that she had to look up to make eye contact. "This is Daryl we're talkin about, Rick! How many people have we lost since the quarry? It's just the five of us left! Me, you, Carl, Glen and Daryl. And there wouldn't be a me or you if it wasn't for him! He's saved us a hundred times over! And he is the one that has been taking care of your kid's while you were off having a breakdown!"

"Don't you think I already know what I owe him!" Rick roared as he grabbed her by the shoulders.

Carol didn't even think about what she was about to do. For a second her mind flashed back to last winter in the woods, when it was just her and Daryl coming back to their camp after trying to hunt for food.

"Why do you think you're a burden?" Daryl had asked.

She had given him a sideways glance as they trudged through the cold silent woods. "Because I am. I'm this groups damsel in distress all the time. I'm more of a burden on you all than anything else."

He had stopped then and put his hands on his hips then scowled at her. "You're right I 'spose." His voice was quiet.

"Leave it to you to not sugarcoat anything, Dixon." His words had stung a little but she couldn't help but smile as he'd narrowed his eyes at her.

He grunted. "If you wanted somebody to stroke your ego then you'd be off whinin to one of the women right now instead of me. You're whinin to me cause you know I'll tell the truth." He smirked.

She put her hands on her own hips and unconsciously mirrored his stance, narrowed eyes and all. She spent most of every day with him as he taught her how to use the knife he had given her. They spent every night together smashed into a one person sleeping bag as they shared body heat to keep from freezing. The others had mentioned how, day by day, they had become more and more in sync. The way they moved around each other, the way they spoke, sometimes even facial expressions. She even found herself smelling like him most of the time since they shared the small sleeping space.

Of course Carol was usually the more pleasant of the two. Just because she spent all her time with him didn't mean it made her turn into a brooding cursing bad tempered Dixon.

"I'm not whining about anything. I'm just saying that I'm sick of feeling like the weakest link in this group. I want to be able to protect our people. Not just myself. I want to be more like you." She hadn't meant to say that last part out loud, she felt the heat rise in her cheeks.

He snorted and shook his head. "Then stop your cryin' and actually DO somethin' about it, woman. You ain't gotta be that weak little mouse everyone else see's. I know you're a lot more than that."

She glared at him. "And what do you suppose I should do? Besides what I'm doing already?"

His lips twitched and then before she could even register that he had moved he was right there in her face. His strong hands gripped her slender shoulders roughly and he used one leg to knock her feet out from under her. She landed hard on her back. He pounced, landing on top of her and pinning her to the ground with all of his weight.

She was stunned and confused but unafraid. There was a lot worse positions she could find herself in. She was just a little dismayed by her bodies reaction to his closeness. She stopped concentrating on how good it felt and started concentrating more on why he was on top of her in the first place. Her blush deepened. He brought his head down and put his mouth so close to her ear that his lips actually brushed against her skin as he spoke.

"You fight back, Dummy." He whispered. And even though every cell in her body wanted nothing more than to stay like that, she shoved against him as hard as she could. And that was the beginning of a long hard winter of learning to do just that. She fought back.

"You fight back." His voice once again whispered in her mind. Rick hadn't loosened his grip on her. She lashed out then, her fist connecting with his mouth. He dropped his hold on her and took a few steps back, wiping blood from his lips with the back of his hand.

"You do what you need to do, Rick. I'll go after him myself. Tonight."

"No one is leaving!" His voice boomed as she turned to walk away. She stopped and faced him once more.

"What are you gonna do, Rick? You gonna lock me up in a cell until I calm down? By the time you get your head out of your ass he could be dead already. That ain't a chance I'm willin to take."

"He could be dead right now, Carol. I'm telling you, if you do this it's suicide."

"I guess I'll find out."

"I said no one leaves." He said from between gritted teeth. There was a storm brewing behind his tired eyes.

She threw him a tight smile. "You know, this role you are playin here, this little Dictatorship you got going on? It isn't workin for me anymore. If I ain't welcome back after I leave here tonight then that's fine. I understand that you gotta punish your people somehow. But I swear to you right now, I will get him out of Woodbury and when I do who do you think he'll choose? Me or you? I'm just curious about one thing after he makes his decision." She turned on her heal and headed towards the cell she had, until recently, shared with Lori.

"What's that?" Rick asked quietly as he watched her walk away.

She threw him what she knew was a smug look over her shoulder. "Let's see how long you people survive without him. You know what his choice will be." Those were almost the same words Rick had said to them after the farm.

She paced the small area of the cell trying to come up with a plan but the combination of fear and anger that was pumping through her blood kept any rational thought at bay. She dropped to her knees and peered under the bottom bunk. There was her bags and a few of Lori's. She pulled Lori's out, already knowing that there wasn't anything useful in her own. She had no idea what she was even looking for. Lori had some knives and a couple of handguns stashed away so Carol threw them on the bed. She felt frantic. She stopped and slowed her breathing. A few minutes passed as she tried to clear her mind. She needed to be sharp, not a blubbering mess. He needed her and she had to keep herself from falling apart. She angrily wiped away the tears that were, to her, a sign of weakness. There was no time for grief. There was nothing to grieve over. She would get him out and everything would be fine. She told herself that over and over as she tore back into Lori's bag.

She heard her cell door creep open but she refused to turn to see who was there. She was done arguing and she figured it was Rick or at the very least Axle.

"Can we come in?" A husky female voice asked from the open cell door.

Carol looked up at the unfamiliar voice and was a little surprised to find Michonne standing there with a nervous looking Maggie hovering behind her. She nodded at the two women and continued on with her rummaging. "If the two of you came to try to talk me out of this then you're wasting your breath and my time." She said. She sounded harsher than she had meant too.

Maggie came forward and knelt on the floor between Carol and the bag. "We ain't here to talk you out of anythin." She said softly in that sweet southern drawl that always made her seem younger than she really was. "God knows if it was Glen out there I'd be doin the same."

"Me and Daryl ain't nothin like you and Glen, Maggie." Carol said softly as she stared miserably into the duffel bag before she met Maggie's kind eyes.

Maggie took Carols hands in her own and gave her a small knowing smile. "No, you ain't. But you're still two people that love each other. You'd both sacrifice yourself to save the others life. You need one another the way Glen and I do. Am I wrong?"

That accent was soothing to Carols frayed nerves. She nodded. "That's how we all are Maggie. You know that." She said it almost sadly.

Maggie rolled her eyes. "You're right. There ain't a person here that I wouldn't fight to the death for. But I'll always fight a little harder for Glen. That's what you do when you're in love. You and Daryl are the only two people here that's just too damn stubborn to see that it's the same for the both of ya."

Carol gaped at the girl for a second before she felt her features pull down in a scowl, then, in true Dixon form, shook her head and scoffed. "Not everybody has a love story, Maggie. You'll see that someday. But you are right about one thing. I'm gonna fight just a little bit harder because he's my friend. We've been through a lot together and I know he'd do the same for me. Rick ain't gonna do a damn thing."

"Look," Michonne interrupted before Maggie could say anything in Rick's defense, "You can't go in there, guns blazing. I know them well enough to know that after what happened last night they are going to be on high alert. You wont make it two feet into that town before you are either gunned down or taken prisoner. Either way you wont be any good to that redneck man of yours."

Carol was about to argue but Michonne put up a hand to stop her. "You need a plan."

"Well, why the hell didn't I think of that myself? Thanks. You two have saved the day." Carol muttered. Her voice dripping sarcasm.

Michonne ignored her. "The Governor has probably already had this place scouted. We saw them leave last night while we were waiting on your man to come out."

"Stop calling him that." Carol hissed.

Michonne didn't skip a beat, "Were you outside at all last night?"

Carol nodded, her face grim. "I was for quite a while actually. I took watch early on and then Carl and I walked the fence to make sure everything was still secure. Why? So what if someone seen me? I don't plan on just introducing myself and marching right in."

"That was actually exactly what I was going to suggest. Or it was before I knew you had been out last night. It would be impossible to sneak in again. Not after we did. But if you were just one unarmed woman running for your life, well, the Governor would probably welcome you in with open arms. He's all about image. I don't think he would turn you away. It would make him look bad."

Maggie grinned at Michonne. "Now that's a good plan. Seems to be the safest way since no one's gonna talk you out of going."

"But that plans a bust. If anyone saw me then they'll sound the alarm as soon as I get there. Then I'm dead for sure and so is Daryl." Carol ran a hand through her short hair and groaned. "Thanks anyway girls. I think I might just have to do the sneaking in thing. It's the only way."

"There has to be some way to make this work. Somehow you have to get him out of there without getting yourself killed." Maggie fumed as she began to idly rummage through the bag herself.

"Sorry, Maggie, but I'm fresh out of wigs and costumes. I think I can sneak in and out okay. If I have to kill a few men in the process then so be it. I'm fast and I'm quiet. I don't need you worrying about me. I'll be fine."

Maggie was about to say something when her hand brushed against something. She looked into the bag and pulled out a box. She stared at it for a few seconds and then she gave Michonne a wide eyed grin, tossing her the box. She looked at the box and then to Carol and back again, her eyes bright with excitement.

"Why would you all have something like this?" Michonne asked but even she seemed excited by whatever it was that Maggie had found.

"Maggie, what the hell is that?" Carol asked as she snatched the box from Michonnes hands.

"You'd just have to have known Lori to understand." Maggie said to Michonne with a slight shake of her head. "Leave it to Lori to worry about her roots even after the world has ended."

Carol grimaced as she looked at the box. "You're kidding, right?" She held up the box of dark brown hair color.

Maggie and Michonne both shook their heads in unison. "Darken up the hair, maybe a little wardrobe change. Who knows?" Michonne shrugged. "It could really work. Especially if they seen you from a distance."

Maggie grabbed Carols hands and pulled her up from the floor. She tugged on the hem of Carols dingy shapeless blouse and then eyed her baggy pants. "Is this what you wore when you were out?" She asked as she made a face at Carols clothes.

"Come on you two! This is serious! I'm not gonna hang around and play makeover with you guys. Now, lets sit down and come up with something that will actually work. Please? This really ain't the time for you, Maggie, to get on my case about my clothes."

Michonne stared at her with narrowed eyes. "If playing dress up with us can save your man then you need to consider it. I really think this will work."

Carol groaned. "Stop calling him that." She muttered, more to herself than to Michonne. But Maggie could tell by her defeated tone that she was, indeed, finally going to get Carol out of those old lady clothes. She was nearly bouncing up and down when Carol stormed past them. "Let's go then. I'm gonna need all the help I can get." Maggie and Michonne followed her to the showers.

Thirty minutes later Carol found herself standing in front of one of the dirty shower room mirrors staring at herself critically. Michonne sat cross legged against the wall behind her drawing out a map of the town of Woodbury. She wasn't sure how she felt about her new dark locks. Her hair had never been dark before. She sort of liked it. She hadn't ever considered coloring her hair before. Ed had forced her to cut off all her hair a year after they were married. That was when he started dictating what she could wear and who she could speak too. After that she just never really cared much about her looks. This was so different she couldn't stop looking at herself.

"Maggie is taking way too long." Carol mumbled as she glanced at Michonne through the mirror. "I'm getting scared. She's gonna go overboard, I just know it."

Michonne raised her eyes from the paper and nodded. "I have a feeling that girl is enjoying herself much more than you are. I like the hair though. It's a good look for you." She tilted her head to the side, "It does make you look a lot different. That's a good thing."

"Thanks a lot." Carol grumbled. She hadn't thought there was anything wrong with the way she had looked before.

Michonne rolled her eyes. "I meant that if any scouts saw you out there they probably wont think you are the same person. Especially after Maggie gets you dolled up." She actually cracked a shadow of a smile. The first one Carol had seen.

Maggie came in just then, looking breathless. She threw a pile of clothes on the counter. "Okay, let's see what we can find." She turned and stared at Carol. "Oh my God. That looks so good!"She gushed. "I love it. You look..." Her voice trailed off and she looked at Michonne for help.

"Fierce. You look like you could kick some serious ass now." Michonne chimed in.

"I can kick serious ass." Carol said deadpan.

"I was gonna say hot." Maggie grinned.

"Shut up, Maggie. I've never been hot. Now what the hell is all this?" She gestured toward the pile of clothes and picked out something black and lacy. Her eyebrows shot up. "Really?" She held up the bra with her thumb and forefinger.

Maggie shrugged. "Figured you would want a little paddin."

"Once again, honey, you figured wrong." She let the garment fall back into the pile and picked up a pair of jeans, ignoring Maggie's pout.

"Actually that isn't a bad idea, Carol." Michonne said, not looking up from her drawing. "He's a ladies man. The sweeter that body of yours looks when you make it in there, the better the chances of charming him into keeping you there."

"I don't plan on running screaming through the town in my underwear." Carol grumbled. "And I don't plan on datin the man. I just need to get in there long enough to get Daryl out. That's it."

Maggie frowned. "But if it helps. You have to do everything you can to make sure you can get in good with that son of a bitch."

Carol growled. "Why did you bring so much stuff?" She asked as she started picking through the clothes once again. She held up an ordinary looking black tank top that was at least two sizes too small for her.

"I couldn't guess what size you were so I got some of Lori's things and some of mine." Maggie said as she handed her a pair of jeans that also looked too small. "Just put these on." She snatched up the bra Carol had tossed to the side and the black tank top she had just been looking at. She shoved the clothes into Carols arms and gave her a huge smile. "It's for Daryl. Just keep repeatin that in your head if it helps. He'd do the same for you."

"Hold on. I don't think you should go in there completely defenseless either." Michonne said as she sat down the notebook and pulled her bag onto her lap. She pulled out two knives out of a side pocket and gazed at them fondly.

"How could I sneak those in? I thought you said that they made you hand over all of your weapons when you got there?"

"They did, but we can improvise." She pulled out a roll of masking tape from the same side pocket on the bag and began taping off the blades of the knives. "This will keep them from cutting you."

"Great," Carol groaned when Michonne handed her the knives and the tape. "What am I suppose to do with these?" They weren't large knives. The blades were no longer than six inches long but having them would be better than having no weapons at all. But she wasn't sure how she could get them into Woodbury.

"The hilts are sort of flat. You tape them to your inner thighs and no one would be able to see them. I'd feel a lot better if you had something on you. You wont even know they are there." Mechonne nodded, "Go on now, Rambo. Get yourself ready."

She went to one of the shower stalls to change. She grumbled to herself the whole time but she was surprised that everything sort of fit. Everything was a lot more clingy than she was used too but it wasn't as bad as she thought. She wasn't expecting to even get the pants buttoned. They must have been Lori's. She was also surprised that Michonne was right. She was expecting the knives to be uncomfortable but that wasn't the case. They didn't stick out at all so unless they patted her down, which she hoped they would not, she could sneak them in undetected. The shirt was to tight but it wasn't something she couldn't live with and the stupid bra that Maggie had forced her into made her seem much bigger in that area than she really was. She lingered in the stall for longer than necessary, dreading Maggie's reaction.

When she finally made her way out Maggie and Michonne were leaning against the wall looking as though they were deep in conversation. That conversation abruptly stopped when they both glanced up as she came around the corner.

"Wow!" Maggie beamed. "You don't even look like the same person! There's no way in hell they'd recognize you." She grabbed Carols hand and pulled her over to the mirror. "Look, Carol! You have hips!" She laughed.

"Jesus, I look ridiculous." She moaned as she looked at her reflection.

"No, you don't." Maggie said as she turned Carol around by the shoulders to face her. "You look really good. I don't think you've been told that enough, Carol. Learn how to take a compliment. You can't always just blend into the background. I think you should do this more often."

Carol shook her head. She took a little comfort in the fact that when this was over she could go right back to being wallflower Carol. She didn't want to stick out.

Maggie sighed, letting the topic drop. "I talked to Rick."

Carols defenses instantly went up. "It don't matter either way what Ricks opinion in on the matter. This is happening whether he likes it or not. He isn't my keeper. Not anymore."

Maggie held up her hands. "He actually thinks it's a good plan. He's even talking it over with Tyreese and his group to see if they could help. Tyreese looked pretty eager. Beth tells me you and him hit it off from the start. She thinks he has a thing for you." She giggled.

"Maggie, you're insane." Carol grumbled but it did nothing to shut Maggie up.

"I bet Daryl has a fit if he finds out somebody else has their eye on you. Then maybe you'll see what everybody else does."

Carol ignored her. She was thankful that Rick was letting the new group in. It would have been a shame if they were forced out. "Let's go then. If they are gonna put their two cents in then I need to be there to see what they have to say. It is a good idea to send some back up.

When they got back to their cell block Maggie made a beeline for the cell she shared with Glen. Carol hoped he was okay. He had looked pretty bad when they had came in. The others were gathered around one of the tables. Rick and Tyreese were the only ones talking. Everyone glanced up as Carol and Michonne approached them and then did a double take. It made Carol feel like she was in one of those dreams where you found yourself in the middle of class and realize you had forgotten to get dressed. Narrowing her eyes she squared her shoulders and stormed over to Rick and Tyreese.

Michonne sat the map down in front of Rick. "I marked all the areas that are usually manned but that don't mean a whole lot now. They would surely have more people on guard unless we killed off a lot of their muscle. It was hard to tell if we were really hitting anyone with all that smoke."

Rick tore his gaze from Carol and looked down at the map in front of him. Carol leaned in closer so she could peer down over Rick and Thyress's shoulders, trying to remember as much of the details as she could. Michonne had even marked the buildings that she thought they would use to keep prisoners. Most of those buildings were accessible from the back. Tyreese and Allen had already agreed to go with her all the way to Woodbury but then stay out of sight so they could keep an eye on the backs of the buildings. Once she got Daryl they could leave through one of the back buildings. The entire town was fenced off but that was easy to remedy with bolt cutters. Allen had already ran off to fetch tools and other supplies with Axle.

Carol came around the table to stand in front of them with a frown.

"Well? What do you think?" Tyreese asked. His voice sounded too soft for a such a big person.

"I don't like that fact that you two will just be standing around waiting on me. It puts you both at risk, not just from people that could be patrolling the outskirts of town but also Walkers. I don't need to worry about things like that when I need to stay focused and get to Daryl. I can manage this on my own." She gave Rick a pointed look but it was Tyreese that spoke up.

"Look. We already went over that. We'll have some prison garb to wear over our clothes. We find a Walker or two and then..." His voice trailed off and he grimaced.

Rick finished his sentence for him. "They do the same thing Glen and I did that time in Atlanta. The same thing that got Mechonne here without her getting attacked."

Carol made a disgusted face. "But I still don't think it's the greatest idea. You two are essentially risking your life for people you don't even know. It doesn't make any sense. And if Rick told you that you have to do it them forget it to earn your place here then forget it."

Tyreese shook his head and gave her a small smile. "He didn't. I volunteered." He held up a hand to cut her off before she could even say anything. "I want to help. We've been out there a long time. Lost a lot of good people and you are the only folks we've ran into that isn't worse than the dead that's walkin around out there. If this man is as good a person as you all let on he is then I want to get him outta that place.

"He is. But I want you to understand that I don't expect you to do this. Not for strangers. That is all we are to you right now."

"I'm looking to change that, ma'am." He said.

So it's all set then?" She looked at Rick but he only nodded, avoiding her gaze. She picked up the map and was about to go to her cell so she could be alone. She wanted to memorize everything about it, but she paused. "Rick, can I talk to you? Alone?" She was starting to feel bad about what happened earlier. He looked like he was in bad shape. She knew he was exhausted and stressed and still trying hard to get over the loss of Lori. She should have cut him some slack but she let her emotions run away with her. She was still bitter. She was still angry that he would leave Daryl there to die but he had so much on his shoulders all the time. And he had came through for them over the winter. She owed him an apology.

Instead of leading him to her cell she found herself taking the stairs up to Daryl's perch. She hadn't put Lori's things away and she didn't want him to have to look at all her things. He had been through enough. There really wasn't a place to sit other than the pile of mattresses that Daryl had piled up in a corner to use as a makeshift bed. She sat down and patted the spot next to her.

"You ain't gonna hit me again, are you?" He asked. The ghost of a smile played at the corners of his lips.

Carol shook her head and let out a weary sigh. He sat down beside her and hung his head low as he stared down at his boots.

"Rick, look. I'm really sorry for the stuff I said earlier and I'm even more sorry for hitting you like that. I had no right to act that way. I know you well enough to know that leaving like that was a hard decision."

She heard him chuckle and turned her head sharply to look at him. "That ain't nothin compared to what I'll catch from Daryl after he finds out I sent you into the lions den alone to get him out."

She laughed. It felt good to laugh after the day she had had. "He'll just be pissed because a girl saved his ass. Don't take it personal. Besides, this is what he was getting me ready for. All the fighting and the training. It was so I could be useful if one of us ever found ourselves in trouble."

"Yeah, you're right." He shook his head and looked at her like she was stupid. "It couldn't have had anything to do with all the time he got to spend with you all hot and sweaty rollin around in the dirt." He tried, unsuccessfully to dodge her hand as she smacked him in the back of the head.

"What the hell has gotten into everybody around here! You know it wasn't like that! You all know it!" She shook her head but she was grateful that the tension between them had broken. Even if it was at her expense. "If it was like that then he wouldn't have had me runnin laps around a prison yard like a common criminal."

"Carol, did it ever think that maybe he wanted you to learn all that because he wanted you to be able to protect yourself, and not everybody else? Maybe because he couldn't handle the thought of something happenin to you? Because he cares about you?" His voice was serious now.

Carol shook her head and looked away. "We all care about each other, Rick. That's what makes us all family. Right?"

She felt him get up and listened to his heavy footfalls as he walked towards the stairs. "That's right. But I also think that all that runnin he made you do was for his benefit too." His voice was louder than it needed to be.

She looked at him then. "What?"

He gave her another smile and turned to leave. "Never mind." She heard the humor in his voice.

She had no idea what he was talking about but a few seconds later she heard Maggie and Hershel start laughing, followed by everyone else in the cell block. She frowned and laid back onto the bed to study the map. She could hear everyone else bustling around below her. She listened to the quiet conversation about their plans for the night and when would be the best time to leave. It all became white noise to her after a while and she felt her eyelids begin to droop. It had been a rough few days. She rolled over onto her side and took a deep breath. She was only going to lay there for a minute and secretly enjoy his scent that was all over the pillow under her face but she quickly drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Carol woke instantly when Maggie shook her shoulder. She sat straight up and looked around.

"Rise and shine." Maggie smiled. "It's about time for y'all to go."

"I can't believe I slept so long. What time is it?" She asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"It ain't too late. Everybody just thinks its a good idea to get goin while the suns still up. Rick and the new kid Ben took one of the cars out and left it about a mile from here. They were tryin to spot any scouts but they didn't see any. You, Tyreese and Allen leave here out the back. You all just need to follow the treeline to the road and get the car. Rick is hopin we did some damage to their numbers. That Governor wont risk sending too many out here to watch us. Hopefully for now he'll just focus on Woodbury." Maggie looked away nervously.

"You think he'll end up coming here?" Carol asked.

Maggie nodded solemnly. "He ain't right. I could see it in his eyes. He's gonna make us pay for what we did. As soon as he gets that town of his back in order." She shrugged. "But right now we just need to worry about getting Daryl back. We can worry about the rest after that I suppose."

Once again everyone was gathered at the table. Even Glen was there. He looked much better than he had when they had brought him in. Maggie went to stand next to his chair. Carl was holding his little sister. The baby formerly known as Little Ass Kicker. Tyreese and Allen were already wearing their prison garb. Those clothes would soon be covered in Walker goo. She couldn't help but feel bad for the two men. It seemed like she was getting off easy.

Rick went over the plan at least three times before Carol started growing impatient. Time wasn't something they had on their side at the moment.

"What if they got him handcuffed or locked in a room or something?" Beth asked as she took the baby from Carl. She glanced from face to face.

"That's good thinkin Beth." Rick said. "I can't believe I didn't think of that." He looked more upset by this than he should have.

"No one else thought of it either." Carol said as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He surprised her by covering her hand with his own and leaving it there, giving hers a light squeeze.

"It ain't up to anyone else to do the thinking Carol." He shook his head.

"I think we can help with that." Sasha said over her shoulder as she left the room. She was back quickly and held up something that looked to Carol like a pocketknife. "You ever used these before?" She asked as she tossed it to Carol. She caught it with her free hand. Rick still hadn't let go of the other one.

"A pocketknife?" She asked skeptically. "Yeah, I've used one before. I don't really see how that can help me though.

"Open it up." Sasha said with a dramatic eye roll.

Carol pulled her other hand from Rick and pulled out what she thought was going to be a blade.

Her eyes lit up when she saw what it really was.

"Lock picks. I shoulda thought of that!" Carl said excitedly.

Rick looked at Carl and frowned. "How the hell do you know what lock picks are?" He asked.

"Someone may have shown me a thing or two about how to pick locks." Carl said with a wink to Carol.

"Who?"

"Who do you think, Rick?" Carol laughed at Rick's annoyed expression. "Probably the same person that taught me how to use them. And Beth too."

"That's real nice. Daryl Dixon's goin behind my back and teachin you all how to act like common thugs." He grumbled

"We live in a prison, dad. Might as well start actin like it." Carl grinned and everyone laughed at Ricks troubled face but it was short lived. Soon it was back to business, as usual.

Carol had no choice but to hide the lock pick in her bra. Despite the thin shirt that hugged her body tightly no one could make out the telltale outline of the tool, although Axel seemed to need to check from every angle possible.

"Okay, Axel. I think it's pretty well concealed. You can stop looking now." Rick said gruffly.

"Just makin sure. Don't want anyone spotting it." Axel mumbled.

Rick went with Ben and Carl to escort them through the dank hallways to the back of the building where the fence was down. They easily picked off Walkers on their way. When they made it to the fence Carol turned to Rick with an encouraging smile. Instead of returning the smile he grabbed her hand and pulled her into a crushing embrace. She hugged him back fiercely, not realizing until then that she really needed the comfort and she figured he did too. They stayed like that for a long time, drawing strength from each other. Carol was the first to pull away when she heard Allen clear his throat behind her. She could imagine how they must look but she didn't care. Rick was like her brother. There was nothing romantic about their relationship.

"You sure about this?" He asked quietly keeping one hand at her waist as his other hand cupped the back of her head.

She nodded and offered him a brave smile. "You know I am."

"If something goes wrong..." His voice trailed off and he looked out towards the trees before meeting her eyes again. "You just run, you hear me? I don't care how strong you are. I don't care what Daryl drilled into your head about fighting back. He wouldn't want you to get yourself killed. And I can't lose anyone else. None of us can. Especially after we just got you back."

She put her hand to the side of his rough face. "I'm gonna be just fine. We are all gonna be fine, okay? I'm gonna make sure of that."

He pulled her to him again, hugging her quickly and then shoved her away gently. Tyreese and Allen had moved over the fence already. She turned then and without looking back followed the other men towards the woods.

Allen was quiet as they made their way through the trees but Tyreese was full of questions. "So, how long have you been together. You and your group, I mean?"

Carol climbed over a fallen tree trunk. "About a year now, give or take. Pretty much since it all started. There were a lot more of us back then." She didn't elaborate and he didn't ask any questions about it.

"Us too. We had a group of twenty five at one point. It's strange now. With just the four of us." His voice was quiet. "So you don't have a husband or anything?" Allen shot him a look from over Carols head.

"I don't know." Carol shrugged.

"Ma'am, no disrespect but how does one not know if they have a husband or not?" He chuckled.

"I was married. Rick and a man named Shane threw him out of camp one night. He could still be out there somewhere, I guess but I don't really know. Don't much care either."

"He must have been a real charmer." Tyreese said.

"Oh, he was." Carol sighed.

They trudged on in silence for a while. Only once did they run into a group of Walkers and there were only five of them so they were easy to get rid of.

"So, this man. The one we're about to rescue, are you and him a thing? From the way everyone was talking it sounded that way."

The question was innocent enough but it grated on Carols nerves, and she wasn't used to getting any attention from men but it seemed like Beth may have been right. And the last thing Carol wanted to deal with was a mans attention. Not a man that she didn't even know, no matter how sweet he was. "That's because, regardless of how much I love my people, and believe me, I love them with every cell in my body, they are idiots. Me and Daryl are close. But Daryl and I are the only two out of our group that has pretty much lost everything. Hershel has his daughters, Glen has Maggie, Rick has Carl and the baby. Daryl and I only have the group and each other. That's bound to make you closer to a person, to share a common bond like that. It's a friendship born from loss. And that makes it stronger than blood if you ask me. We're the only real family we got."

Another round of silence followed and they were almost to the car when Tyreese spoke again. "I never really looked at it that way before. It's sort of poetic."

Carol smiled. "Poetic? How so?"

"How tragic it is, you know? How something so strong and good can be born out of pain." He shrugged and looked away. "It's a real good way to think. Not everything in this world has to be bloody. There's room for beauty too, if you're smart enough to grab hold of it."

Carol stopped in her tracks. She was impressed. And he was right. This world was ugly but without it she wouldn't have what she did now. She would have never known real friendship, real sacrifice. And all the pain she had endured since the beginning only made her appreciate the things she had that much more. Like her group and Judith. Daryl.

"Is everything okay?" He asked as she stared at him.

She smiled. "You know, Tyreese. I'm glad you found us. I think this is where you and your family need to be. The world ain't got enough good people in it."

He smiled and they continued on to the car.

Carol had been keeping her eyes on the ground the whole way to the car but she never spotted any tracks. They were hoping that anyone scouting would have kept to the front of the prison and from the looks of it that is what they had done. That was the whole reason for them leaving out the back, so they wouldn't be spotted.

No one spoke once they got on the road. This was one of the most dangerous parts of the mission at hand, for Tyreese and Allen anyway. If the people from Woodbury were driving to the prison on the road while Carol, Tyreese and Allen were driving to the town they would most likely be outnumbered and out gunned. They would surely be killed. But luck was with them so far. They didn't pass any other people driving towards the prison.

Allen slowed the car when they came upon a large rock next to a broken mailbox. Michonne had told them about it before they had left and that was where they all agreed to leave the car so it wouldn't be spotted from the road. They turned down the overgrown driveway that was flanked by trees and stopped in front of an old foundation. When Allen turned off the ignition they all three let out a relieved breath.

"This is where it gets fun boys." Carol muttered grimly as a few shambling Walkers made their way towards them when they got out of the car.

The men snapped on some latex gloves and grabbed their weapons but before the men could even reach her she had swiftly taken out both Walkers. Tyreese studied her appreciatively. "I have to say that I think that's the first time I have ever seen someone make that look sexy." He laughed.

Carol narrowed her eyes and snorted as she leaned against the trunk of a tree. She kept watch while the men went to work on the corpses. Poor Allen was sick before they really even got their hands dirty. They both took turns smearing the reeking fluids on each others backs. Allen had to throw up again before they could begin their hike to Woodbury.

It was getting darker as they walked through the woods. They only had about a mile and half to walk so by the time she made it to the gates there should still be a little light.

"So, we will be hiding out until nightfall. We split up then and Allen takes the left side of the road and I take the right. We'll both be on the lookout for you. As long as you can get him out the back then we'll cover you." Tyreese ran over the plan once again as they walked.

Carol was glad they both seemed to have so much faith that this was going to work out. She hated to say what she was about to say but it needed to be said. "If I ain't out by sunrise, leave. Get back to the prison as fast as you can. And you make sure you tell Rick and the others that I'm sorry. If it comes to that."

Tyreese stopped in his tracks and gaped at her, his eyes wide. "That ain't part of the plan, lady. We wait for you to come out and then we all leave together."

"There's a real big chance that I ain't comin out at all. That's one of the reasons I wanted to do this alone." Carol snapped.

"Then we'll find a way in there and get you out." He crossed his arms over his massive chest and glowered down at her.

He meant to look intimidating but Carol wasn't taking the bate. "Then you'll both die too. For nothin." She said simply.

"But you promised Rick that if something happened then you would try to get out. Are you planning on staying and dying? For a man that may very well be dead already?" Allen said looking disgusted.

"He ain't some guy, he's my family and dyin for family isn't a bad thing. You two idiots go in there after me you'll be dyin for a stranger. And that just makes you both stupid. And he ain't dead. Not yet. You insinuate otherwise again and I'll make sure you regret it. I appreciate your help, but this is my call. You leave, you hear me? Sunrise."

"How sure are you that you can pull this off?" Tyreese asked, still glowering.

Carol thought for a second and then shrugged. "I figure my chances are about fifty fifty. And you can stop looking at me like that, big man. I don't scare easily anymore. The only thing you're managing to do is piss me off." She turned and trudged off, after sharing a look both men grudgingly followed.

They made good time. Too good. "Why haven't we ran into any Walkers?" Allen asked.

Carol didn't answer right away. She had been wondering the same thing for a while now. She stopped in her tracks when the answer hit her like a slap in the face.

"What is it?" Tyreese asked looking around for any signs of danger.

"They're attracted to sound." She whispered.

"Yeah, we already knew that." Allen said as he glanced around warily.

"All that gunfire last night. It probably attracted every Walker in the area. I'm gonna have to bust through a herd just to get to the damn gate."

"You can't do that. For one, you wont make it through a herd and for two, they would get suspicious if they seen you try. You'd end up getting killed either way. I think we should just go back." Allen said in a matter of fact tone. He was really starting to get on her nerves.

"Goin back isn't an option for me but suit yourself if this is too much." She snapped. They were so close that she could make out the tops of a few of the buildings. They were only a few yards into the woods so she could also see the road. She looked from the buildings to the road and back again, trying to judge the distance.

"What are you thinking?" Tyreese asked. His face grew suspicious.

"Allen, you go ahead and cross the road now. Go into the woods and then head straight for the back of those buildings. Stay away from the road. Don't go near it again, no matter what you hear. Just trust me, I'll be fine. I have to make some noise to get the Walkers away from the gate."

Allen looked to Tyreese who, to Carols surprise, nodded for Allen to go ahead.

Carol turned to follow Allen but Tyreese stopped her with a large hand on her shoulder. She spun around, ready to give him hell for delaying her but she stopped when she saw the strange look on his face. For some reason he looked very young.

"Yeah?" She said briskly.

"Before we do this, I want to ask you if when," He put a lot of emphasis on the when part, "you get out of there and things get back to whatever you people consider normal, if you'd like to go on a supply run with me, or maybe partner up on watch?" He looked almost embarrassed.

She couldn't help but smile even though she was beyond uncomfortable at this point. "Are you asking me on some sort of post apocalyptic date or something?" She couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice.

"If you want it to be. It's not like I can ask you out for coffee or anything like that." He kicked lightly at the ground with the toe of one huge boot.

Carol glanced back towards the road before meeting his eyes again. "I like you, Tyreese. I really do. You're a good man and I want to be your friend if I do make it out of this. But I don't know about anything else. No promises, okay?"

"So I can take that as a maybe?" He grinned.

Carol shook her head and laughed. "I guess you can call that a maybe, if it makes you feel any better. Now go." With that she turned and ran towards the road.

She waited there in the middle of the road and slowly counted to one hundred and twenty. Two minutes was enough time for the men to get far enough from the road. She had to push Tyreese's words from her mind. No one, other than Axel of course, had shown any interest in her for longer than she could remember. And she wasn't sure how she felt about that. It was flattering, she supposed, but now wasn't the time to think about it. She would have plenty of time to sort that out when she was back home. She still couldn't help but wonder what Daryl would have to say if something happened between her and Tyreese. She was his partner in everything they did. She shook her head.

She took a deep steadying breath, said a silent thank you to Daryl for all the running he had put her through, and let out the loudest, most blood curdling scream she could manage. Her own ears rang painfully. She waited until she heard the moaning and the shuffling feet of the Walkers before she screamed again.

She couldn't see the gates because of a rise in the road which meant that whoever was on the wall wouldn't see her. She was prepared as she watched the herd crest the rise and stumble towards her. They just kept coming but she figured there would be more of them. She guessed there were maybe forty but she wasn't going to stand there and count them. She sucked in a huge breath and then took off at a dead run straight at them. When she was still a few yards from them she veered off back into the trees. She ran parallel to them as they stumbled into one another and headed for the trees themselves.

She ran as fast as she ever had before, knowing it would only take one of them to kill her. She felt the sting of small branches and foliage as they snagged her exposed skin but she ignored the pain and pushed on.

She ran out of the woods and back onto the road when she had finally passed the herd but she was still about thirty yards away from the gate. Perfect. She glanced back and saw that the herd was coming but she was sure she would make it in before they reached her. She could see four armed men patrolling the wall she slowed down and then screamed again as a few straggler Walkers grabbed at her. She cringed away from them.

"Help me! Please!" She screamed as she neared the gates. The men looked at one another, clearly unsure what to do. Finally one of them jumped down and out of sight, Carol fell to her knees when she was sure the Walkers were still far enough away. She willed tears to her eyes.

She was relieved to hear the heavy doors opening and she looked up in time to see a man running towards her.

"Jesus, lady! What the hell are you doing out here?" The man grumbled as he pulled her to her feet. She stumbled alongside him as he quickly lead her to the gate. There was another man waiting there, ready to close it as soon as they were inside. She didn't even have to pretend to flinch when she heard the sound of the heavy metal bar fall into place, sealing them in.

"M my husband. My little girl." Carol wailed as she covered her face with her hands. She once again fell to her knees, her shoulders trembling with her fake sobs. The tears that flowed now, however, were real. She rarely spoke of Sophia anymore and when she did it was like ripping the scab off a healing wound. She felt guilty for using that personal agony to her advantage right now.

Daryl could teach her to shoot and use a knife. He could teach her how to fight like a man and he could guide her as she struggled to turn her body into a machine. He even taught her how to shut down her fear and use it to fuel the anger that she needed to be strong. And man, had they discovered a hidden well of anger inside her to draw from. But no amount of guidance or teaching from him had made her numb to the pain of losing her daughter.

"Has anyone sent for the Governor?" The man who had helped her asked frantically.

"Yeah, he's coming." Someone answered from somewhere to Carols right. "Did you check her for weapons?"

Carol dropped her hands from her face and slowly stood up. She made sure she kept her eyes downcast. "There's a knife in my right pocket. You can have it, just please don't make me go back out there. Those things..." She didn't finish the sentence.

"What do we have here fellas?" Carol looked up and had to force herself to calm down and not show any signs of aggression towards the man that now stood right in front of her. He smiled and her stomach lurched. She looked back down, not trusting her eyes to not give away the fact that she wanted nothing more than to rip this guys throat out with her bare hands.

"She came running out of the woods. I know you said to use force towards any outsiders but she just dropped. She would have been lunch for those things." Her rescuer was explaining with real fear in his voice.

"It's fine, Thomas." The Governor all but crooned. "I don't think this little thing would pose a threat to us. I would feel a little better if you would let me hold on to that knife for now, Sweetheart." His voice was pleasant. She handed him the short bladed knife with trembling fingers.

"She mentioned her husband and little girl." Thomas spoke up.

Michonne had told them about the Walker child that he had locked away in his apartment. She watched his face carefully as it changed at the mention of a child. His one good eye searched her face. The other one was covered in gauze. She let her features crumple in grief and pain. She hoped she wasn't over acting.

"Is she..." He cleared his throat, "Is she still alive? Your little girl?" His voice was filled with genuine concern. He tilted Carols chin up so he could look at her. She only managed a slight shake of her head before he pulled her to him and stroked the back of her hair. She wanted so badly to pull away from him but she stayed very still. "Let's get you set up in one of our rooms. Everything is going to be okay." He said quietly as he led her to the other side of town. Carol knew what building it was from Michonnes map. It was the same one Michonne had stayed in during her short stint at Woodbury.

"I'll be safe?" She asked in a broken voice.

"You'll be just fine, I promise." He said as he walked her down a long hallway. "It's safe from the biters. We were under attack recently from outsiders but that's just about all cleaned up."

Carol only nodded and stared straight ahead. It reminded her of 'Old Carol' as Daryl liked to call it. Just shuffling along and not putting up a fight.

"What is your name, Miss?" He asked as he opened a door and motioned for her to go in.

"Carrie." She answered meekly.

"Well, Carrie. This is your room. There is a bathroom with running water. It's hot if you'd like to shower. I'll have someone bring you something to eat soon."

He turned to leave but Carol stopped him timidly. "Sir?" God she hated hearing herself sound so pathetic.

He turned towards her just as he reached to close the door behind him. His one good eye still filled with compassion and concern. "Yes?"

"Thank you. For saving me." She willed more tears to her eyes.

"You're welcome." He smiled sadly before he shut the door.

She shook her head and wiped the tears from her face. Michonne was right. He definitely had a lot of charisma. She could see why so many people here trusted him. She doubted many of them knew exactly what kind of man he really was. She hoped she was able to kill him before she got Daryl out of here.

The room was pretty bare. It had the feel of a cheap motel room. It was clean but nothing about it was fancy. Well, it was fancy compared to what she was used too. Her home was a prison. Her room nothing but a cell. But it was her home and she missed it right now. The full size bed had a patchwork quilt. There were two bedside tables with small lamps and a couch pushed against the same wall as the bathroom door. A bookshelf was against the opposite wall, full of paperbacks. There were a few magazines scattered across the coffee table. She took all this in with a critical eye. What she was really seeing was a room that was completely devoid of anything that could be used as a weapon. She checked the bathroom next and found that there was nothing of any use in there either. She was glad Michonne had thought to give her the knives. She felt better knowing they were there even though if something happened and someone came in now they would be of no use to her.

She got herself a clean washcloth from the bathroom cabinet and washed the dried blood from her face and arms. The wounds she had received from running through the woods were superficial but there was a decent sized gash under her right eye. She was lucky it got her under the eye. She wouldn't look too appealing in an eye patch. She stiffened when she heard the door to the room open and then close with an audible click.

She walked out of the bathroom and saw a woman sitting a trey of food down on the coffee table, her back to the bathroom. All Carol saw at first was wavy blond hair but when the women turned towards her with a kind smile they both froze.

"Carol?" Andrea breathed after staring at her for a few long seconds.

Carol was nearly in shock. She was happy to see her old friend alive. She, they all, had thought she was long dead. But this was a horrible complication. It was obvious that Andrea had found a home here in Woodbury and Carol's cover was pretty much blown. Who would Andrea feel more loyalty towards? The group that left her for dead on the farm or the people of this town that had obviously taken her in?

"I can't believe it's really you! You look amazing!" Andrea gushed as she embraced Carol.

Carol returned the hug but not the smile. She pulled away from her, frowning. "I'm here to get Daryl. Do you know that they have him here somewhere?"

Andrea's smile vanished and she pulled Carol down to sit with her on the couch while she glanced nervously at the door. "I know." She whispered. "But you don't know what he's done, Carol. Him and some prisoners came here last night and just started shooting people. He killed a lot of good men. We think Merle led him here. He's with Daryl right now."

Carol was surprised by the wave of relief that she felt as it sunk in that Daryl was actually alive. She had wanted him to be so bad that the thought of him being dead wasn't even something her brain would let her consider. And then the rest of what Andrea had said sank in. She wretched her hands out of Andrea's grasp and stood up so quickly that she nearly knocked over the table. "Do you have any idea why they came here? Come on, Andrea! You know us. You know we wouldn't just come here and start shooting people for the fun of it!"

Andrea stood up also and crossed her arms, her face growing bitter. "I know that what we have here is something special. This town is a place where people can still have hope. And I know that some people out there would go to any lengths to take that for themselves. I know that at one time I was a member of a broken group that left me for dead and now I'm a member of a real community. It's safe and it's stable. That's what I know, Carol." Her voice was harsh.

"We thought you were dead." Carol hissed. "and Daryl and the others weren't here to steal away your precious town. They came to rescue Glen and Maggie. Your Governor and Merle had them held prisoner here. They almost killed Glen and I'm still not one hundred percent sure what they did to Maggie."

Andrea shook her head slowly, doubt clouding her eyes. "That can't be true. He wouldn't do something like that. Not Philip."

"Andrea, you could come with us."Carol whispered, glancing at the door. "We could get Daryl out together and you can come back to our group."

Andrea scoffed. "Why would I ever leave here? This is my home. These people are my friends."

Carol couldn't believe her ears. "Andrea, this man isn't who he says he is."Carol pleaded. "Please. Help me get him out of here."

Andrea glared at her with narrowed eyes. "Why would they send you after him anyway? Are your numbers really that low?"

Carol bristled. It was obvious that Andrea was implying that Carol wasn't capable of pulling this off. She wondered if Andrea would feel the same way if she broke her nose but she shook away that though and just shrugged. "I decided to do it myself. I'm gonna get him out of here, unless you got plans to blow my cover. Then you can watch that pretty boy Governor of your kill us both."

Andrea stared at her for a long moment. She finally gave Carol a humorless smile and shook her head. "No. I wont tell him who you are. I'll even tell you where they are holding Daryl." Her eyes went hard. "And you get him out of here. No one in my town gets hurt, you got that? You and your people stay the hell away from this place." She strode to the door and then turned with her hand on the knob. "You know, you both are going to end up dead anyway, right? This isn't your cup of tea, Carol. You aren't strong enough for this. You are just one unarmed woman with no skills. This is a suicide mission."

Carol felt her lips turn up in an icy smile of her own. There must have been something in that cold gaze because that smile of Andrea's melted away. "Where is he?"

"Right under your feet." Andrea said and then she was gone.

Carol stared at the closed door for a long time after Andrea left. She couldn't believe the woman was being so stupid. She shook her head. This gave new meaning to the phrase 'ignorance is bliss'. But Andrea wasn't her problem. She just had to bide her time for a little while longer. She pulled back the lace curtain and stared out at the street. From this view it was almost surreal to look at. There were people walking down the sidewalk and others standing in groups in the streets talking. A few kids flew by on bicycles. A person could really forget that the world had ended in a place like this. She wished that she had been given a room in the back. That way she could simply climb out the window and find a way into the basement with minimal chances of getting caught. Now she was going to either search the hallways for a door that would lead her down or make her way to a back exit. That raised the risk for getting caught exceptionally. She did feel better that Tyreese was back there somewhere. For some reason she didn't trust Allen as much.

She walked right past the food Andrea had brought her. She wasn't about to eat anything that came from that man. As far as she knew it could have been loaded with roofies or something. Instead she went to the bathroom so she could remove the knives from their hiding spot. She winced as she yanked the tape from the sensitive skin of her thighs. She gently pressed her thumb to the blade and smiled wickedly as a small drop of blood welled up just from the slight pressure.

"Unarmed my ass, Blondie." She said out loud. She went back into the room and shoved the knives under the mattress and sat down heavily on the bed. Andrea's parting statement had her thinking back to a few weeks ago. She let her mind wonder as she waited to go play the hero.

"You know, it's kinda easier for women than it is for men." Daryl had said one day as they lay side by side on their backs in the grass, panting in the prison yard after a run.

She turned her head and gave him a quizzical look as she stretched her arms out over head. "How's that?"

"Well, you ain't never really unarmed if you think about it. Ya'll can bite and scratch and pull hair. I do somethin like that and I'd look like a pussy. You do it and so long as you win, no one would care."

She laughed. "If I ever end up in a situation where I'd have to scratch somebody in a fight then you ain't much of a teacher." She liked it when he was chatty. Usually he wasn't much of a talker.

He glanced at her and rolled over onto his stomach with a frown. She sighed and rolled over too. Their arms barely touching. This was the look he got on his face when he thought of something new to show her. And this usually meant that she would be exhausted and in pain by the time the lesson was over. He wasn't at all gentle with her. He never seriously hurt her but she was constantly finding new bruises on her body. Unlike the bruises she used to wear when she was with Ed these were ones she was proud of. She earned them honestly.

He pushed himself up onto his own knees, facing her then grabbed her hands roughly and yanked her to her feet. "I just thought of somethin. Let's go, we're losin' daylight." he grumbled as he dropped her hands and strolled off towards one of the empty guard towers.

"Ain't we done enough for today? It's a hundred degrees out here." She complained but she could feel her pulse quickening in anticipation. Something she usually tried to ignore.

"No, we ain't done enough for today." He mocked as he elbowed her in the ribs. "You getting weak on me?"

"No, but everybody keeps talkin' about us spendin so much time together. Gets on my nerves."

"What's it to them? And why do you care what they say?" He asked.

She shrugged. "Maggie said that we are deranged and sadistic and that beating the crap out of each other is our way of relieving sexual tension." She blushed furiously and was surprised to see that he was too.

He snorted, his brow pulling down in a frown. "That's cause all her and Glen think about is rippin each others clothes off. That's what they do for fun. This is what we do for fun." He shrugged. "What else is there to do around here?"

"So, beating me up is your idea of fun?" She raised one eyebrow and grinned.

"The fun part is watchin you go all Amazon on me. It's a lot different than how you were."

"So you think it's fun when I beat the crap out of you?" She put her hands on her hips. "Maggie's right, ain't she? You get off on it. Pervert."

"Shut up." He scoffed.

Teasing him was fun but she let it drop, curious about what he thought was so important that it couldn't wait until tomorrow. "So, oh wise and powerful master, what'd you drag me all the way over here for?"

He walked up to her, so close their bodies were only inches apart. He stared down at her, frowning.

"What?" She asked. All joking gone from her voice as his gaze grew more and more intense.

"Other than Ed, of course, have you ever had to fight off any other man? Maybe for other reason's than just to save yourself from getting a beatin?" He asked in a casual tone that belayed the look in his eyes.

She shook her head. "No. Just Ed. And I didn't do much fightin back. Even when a beating wasn't what he was after." Her voice was low. She didn't like talking about Ed. Or the things Ed used to do to her.

His expression clouded over and a muscle in his jaw started twitching violently. She learned that that was a sure sign that he was pissed. Right now he looked beyond pissed. "So he wasn't just a woman beater, huh?" He growled.

"Depends on how you look at it I guess. To him it was his right as a husband to take what he wanted too, even if I wasn't really willin to give it to him." She didn't know why it was so easy to tell him things like this. But it was.

"I shoulda gutted that bastard back at the quarry."

"What's this all about, Daryl?" She asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"What would you do if you were in your cell one night and Axel came in there and tried to... you know?"

"Augh! Daryl, that's so gross." She made a face and punched him in the arm.

"What would you do?" He demanded.

"I'd kick his ass. This is Axel we're talkin about."

Daryl rolled his eyes. "Okay, what if it was Oscar?"

"I'd scream for you." She said deadpan.

He gave her his trademark scowl. "Damn it, Carol, I'm serious. How could you get away from someone if you didn't have a weapon and there wasn't anything around to even use as a weapon? What could you do to stop them?" There was anger in his voice and it caused her to draw a blank. She couldn't think.

"That wouldn't happen. I'm always with you." She said quietly.

He shook his head and stepped closer. She stepped back. "I'm dead. You're alone. No ones there to save your ass. What are you gonna do, Carol?"

She knew that he was only doing this so she could be prepared if something like that ever happened to her. He cared enough to want her to be able to protect herself and she was glad of that but the cold look he was giving her was actually freaking her out a little.

He kept coming closer and she kept backing away from him getting closer and closer to the guard tower. "I don't know." Her voice was little more than a whisper. She could feel the heat radiating off the sun baked bricks behind her. She had no where else to go.

She stopped but he didn't. He kept coming at her with a purpose. In one fluid motion he lifted her off the ground and slammed her back painfully into the hot bricks, pinning her there with his body, her feet completely off the ground, and then catching both her hands in one of his and held them there above her head.

"I'm some stranger. A sick perverted fuck that don't care if you scream or beg. What are you gonna do, Carol?" He growled between clenched teeth. His face only inches from hers.

She squirmed but that only caused him to press against her harder. He shook his head. "That definitely ain't gonna help you any." She froze. He was right. If someone had her pinned like this the last thing she would want to do is move around like that. But moving around like that with him had felt really good. She mentally cursed herself and tried to focus again.

"I'm bigger than you. I'm stronger than you. And I got you pinned here up against the wall. You gotta think faster, woman. I could have had your clothes off by now. Think."

His words weren't having the effect on her that he wanted. He wanted her to be afraid. But he wasn't a stranger. And she couldn't help but enjoy the situation. She tried to think of a way to get out of this position but every time she did all she could think about was him pressed up against her and how his hands felt on her wrist and how blue his eyes were when he was this close. This definitely was one of his very worst ideas ever. She cursed herself over and over and then tried to wriggle free again and then, as if they had a mind of their own, her legs wrapped around his waist.

This time it was him that froze. He even let go of her wrists. She squirmed again and then heard his breath catch in his throat. His hands went to her waist and his eyes went wide. Her hands pressed against his chest and she could feel his heart hammering under her palm and then her own eyes widened when she realized that the strange situation was having the same effect on certain parts of his body as it was hers. She felt his rough fingers grip her waist a little harder, almost painfully but in a good way.

"What are you doin?" He breathed. His voice was husky and low and sent a thrill through her that she'd never felt before. She wanted to kick her own ass. Daryl was the most important person in her life and all her stupid squirming around had put them in a really awkward predicament. She didn't need this complication. What they had was perfect. Until now. But she couldn't stop herself. She let her hands moved up his chest, feeling the muscles tighten as her fingers explored. As her hands moved up his chest his crept under her shirt, rough fingers grazing the skin at her sides.

"I don't know." She whispered.

He moved his face just a little bit closer to hers, his breathing was a little ragged. Her hands slipped into his hair and she pulled him closerstill. Her mouth was only an inch away from his. It wouldn't have taken much effort on her part to close the distance.

"Hey, Rick wanted me to come find you guys to let you know... Oh shit! Sorry. Um..." She could see Glen over his shoulder, gaping like a little boy. He looked like he had been caught spying, his face reddening.

Daryl backed up and she quickly unwrapped her legs from his waist, landing lightly on her feet.

She was afraid that the incident was going to cause strain on their already strange relationship but that isn't what had happened. He'd threatened Glen to secrecy, apologized to her for the botched lesson. Scolded her for grinding against him like a common stripper which, according to him, was the whole reason things had gotten so tense so fast. Then she scolded him back for being the one to force himself between her legs to begin with, which caused him to blush and sputter and then it was never brought up again. They had gone about their lives as usual. Nothing changed.

She found herself back in the room in Woodbury. Rolling her eyes at herself for letting her mind go back to that day. She tried not to think about it, but sometimes it crept up on her. Like now. Sometimes she found herself wandering what would have happened had Glen not shown up. And then she would wander why the hell she wandering something like that in the first place. She had reacted like a horny teenager and he had reacted like a typical man. That's all it was. It didn't mean that he wanted her like that. She wasn't delusional.

Shaking those thoughts from her head she took another look out the window. According to Michonne there was suppose to be some sort of curfew but it didn't look like it from what she could tell. There were more people out now than there had been earlier when she had checked. She frowned. Hopefully there wouldn't be anyone behind the buildings. If so then this was going to be more difficult than she thought.

She pulled the knives out from between the mattress and box springs and put them down the side of each boot. She walked around the room for a second to make sure she wasn't going to slice her ankles open. They stayed put and she felt much better knowing that she was armed with something.

Her head snapped up and she looked towards the door when she heard footsteps coming down the hallway. The room was dark. She threw herself onto the bed and curled up in the fetal position, forcing her breathing to slow down.

Although no one knocked the door opened slowly. She listened to the sound of heavy footsteps walking towards the bed. She wanted to open her eyes to see who was there when she felt the weight of someone sitting down on the edge of the bed but she kept herself under control. Now wasn't the time to mess this up. Not when she was so close. He was right under her. Locked somewhere in the basement of the very building she was in. she had to keep it together. She just kept on pretending to sleep as the minutes ticked by.

"Poor poor, Carrie." She heard the Governor whisper as he ran his hand gently up and down her back. She wanted so bad to shrink away from that touch but she stayed still, remembering to breath as though she were sleeping. "This world is too cold for someone like you. Too harsh. I wonder how you have lasted this long." His hand stayed at her back and it was making her skin crawl. She had to keep telling herself that one wrong move from her and Daryl was dead. She almost sighed in relief when he moved his hand away from her back.

After a few more minutes he stood up. "I'll come back in the morning so we can have breakfast together. Then I can show you around your new home." It took every ounce of willpower she had not to move away when she felt his dry lips brush her cheek. She wanted to gag. This guy was a total nutcase. She felt dirty, like she needed to scrub her face where his lips had been. The door shut and she listened as the footfalls faded down the hallway.


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, I wasn't going to post this until tomorrow but I decided to do it now. This was a fun chapter to write because it has a bit more action in it. The Carol character is a bit extreme in this one so beware. If you are squeamish you may not like it as much but I figured that anybody squeamish wouldn't be reading about flesh eating zombies so I think you can all handle it. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! **

Chapter Three

The hallway wasn't as dark as she thought it was going to be. There were several closed doors and light shown from the cracks in the bottom of each one. She half expected sentries posted outside her door but figured everyone assumed she was too harmless to waste the manpower on someone like her. Andrea had said herself that they had did some damage to their numbers last night.

The hallways remained silent and empty as she made her way towards the back. She wasn't sure what the building had been used for before but it was a labyrinth off halls and doors. She was sure she was going to get caught before she found her way out but that didn't happen. Eventually, at the end of a particularly dark and long hallway she saw a door with a sign above it. When she was right under it she could see that it was an exit sign. She put her ear against the door but she heard nothing on the other side. She slowly turned the deadbolt and opened it as quietly as she could. When she stuck her head out there wasn't a whole lot to see. Just a narrow ally and then a fence. A very tall fence topped with razor wire. It was pretty impressive. Beyond that intimidating fence was about twenty feet of overgrown grass and then the woods where, she hoped, Tyreese was waiting for her. There was no one in sight so she slipped out the door and down the steps in a crouch. She should have been easy to spot for Tyreese, who was suppose to be scanning the buildings for her. He had binoculars in his bag.

She studied the building she had just emerged from. There were low windows that she knew would lead to the basement. That was a blessing. She didn't want to have to go back in to check the doors. She didn't know what rooms were occupied and it would be her luck to walk in on actual people. She had no idea what window she should try because she didn't know where in the basement he was being held.

"Carol?" Someone called quietly from behind her. She spun around and spotted a large form heading towards her out of the trees.

"Tyreese." She breathed as she hurried to the fence. "Are you okay?" She asked as she laced her fingers through the chain link and peered up at him.

"Yeah. The Walkers I've seen just walk right by me like I'm not even there. It's crazy. Most of them just hang out by the gate so we're good. I saw a few men make rounds about twenty minutes ago out here but that was the only time I've seen anybody. What about you? Everything go okay in there?" He asked.

She nodded. "So far so good. I'm about to go in. They have him held in the basement. I got lucky. He's in the same building they put me in so I don't have to risk getting spotted going from building to building. I need you to cut a hole in this fence and then go around and get Allen, I'll be coming out this door since it's the only exit."

"Here, take this." He handed her a small flashlight through the fence. "You want a gun now?"

"I'm better with knives. Besides, if I shoot a gun down there then the whole town in gonna come running. They are short on men so as long as I don't run into a lot of them at once I'll be okay."

He looked down at her for a few heavy seconds before he spoke. "You're an amazing woman, you know that? I ain't met many men that would do what you're about to do."

She flashed him a grin. "Ain't you the charmer? Now get to work on this fence and I'll see ya'll soon."

She made her way down the ally as quickly as she could while still being silent. The building was old and the basement windows were narrow. It was a good thing she was so small. She pushed on several of them but none of them would budge. She couldn't risk making noise by breaking the glass. She growled in frustration but then it hit her. Daryl had told her a story once about when him and Merle had broken into a house to steal some guns. They hadn't known for certain if the people were home so they had to be quiet about it and all the doors and windows had been locked. To keep from making too much noise Daryl had covered the pane of glass in the backdoor window with duct tape. When he had punched the window out it hadn't made much noise at all.

Carol bolted back down the ally where Tyreese was finishing up cutting the fence. "Hey." She whispered breathlessly, "You got any duct tape in that bag?"

He dug around in the large bag and eventually produced a roll of tape. "Never leave home without it." He winked. "You plannin on tying someone up down there?"

She laughed. "I'm killin anyone I see that ain't a Dixon. I need the tape to get in."

He shook his head. "Woman, you are something else."

"I know," was her only response as she hurried back to the window to get to work. When she was finished she kicked out the glass. It was far from silent but at least it was muffled. She waited to see if there was anyone down there to investigate the sound but no one came. She shined the flashlight into the small hole. It looked like a large storage room. There were boxes and crates and shelves of all sizes. No people, which was what mattered to her at the moment.

Shutting off the flashlight she went in feet first. She felt a sting as a fragment of broken glass dug into her as she lowered herself into the room. She forgot about it as soon as she landed. It didn't take her long to find the door leading out but she just found herself in another hallway. She hoped it wasn't going to be like it had been upstairs. She stood there for a while listening to the silence but she heard nothing. It was pitch black but she didn't want to overuse the flashlight just in case someone else was down here to see it. She turned it on and studied the hallway just long enough to get her bearings and then she turned it back off.

There were more doors on both sides of her and even though she hated too she quietly checked them all. She hated too since there very well could be people behind those doors that would surely kill her. But she wasn't going to risk leaving any door unchecked for fear that as soon as she passed one it would be the very one that would lead her to Daryl. She was surprised that she hadn't ran into anyone. She thought for sure she would have had to stab someone by now.

She wasn't sure where she was or how far into the building she had crept but eventually she heard something behind one of the doors. She strained her ears so she could identify the sound. All she heard was a dull hollow thud, like someone was kicking something repeatedly. When she put her hand to the cold doorknob she thought she heard a voice. Just a low monotone. There wasn't any light seeping out from under this door. She took a deep breath and opened the door just wide enough for her to take a peak inside. The sound was louder now and she definitely could make out a voice but it wasn't the one she needed to hear.

She held her breath and turned on the flashlight just quick enough to get an idea of what, or who, was in the room. For all she knew they could have more prisoners from other groups stashed away. It was a boiler room. There was a lot of machinery that she didn't recognize but it was obvious that this section, at least was the guts of the building. It only took her a few seconds before she turned the light back off. There was a small corridor that made a sharp left turn and somewhere beyond that turn was a light. She went into the room, closing the door behind her and made her way towards the corridor. The thudding and mumbling was coming from the same place as the light.

She hesitated against the wall before peering into the lit room. She didn't want to be spotted but she had to look. When she finally did she had to force herself not to make a sound, although inside she felt as though she had died a little. She was too late.

Daryl was there. He was hanging from a beam by his wrists, his knees slightly bent, the toes of his boots dragging the floor as his body rocked gently from the ropes they had used to string him up. She hadn't been able to save him. She had to swallow back the bile that was rising in her throat as she watched the blood run down his arms from where the rough rope had tore at the skin of his wrists. He was blindfolded and his chin hung down, touching his chest. Blood dripped from his nose and several other cuts on his face. She wanted to go get him down but she was afraid that if she touched him her mind would snap. She couldn't bring herself to even think of touching him now.

"You still alive over there, baby brother?" Carol drug her gaze from Daryl's body and found the source of the voice and the thudding she had all but forgotten about. Merle Dixon was handcuffed by his good hand to a steal table that was bolted to the floor. His other arm lay useless in his lap at he kicked at the table leg.

"Come on now, Daryl. Talk to me. Tell me some more about prison life. You gotta stay with me, now, you hear? Tell me about that girl of yours. That seems to liven ya up a bit."

"Shut up, Merle." Daryl muttered and then coughed, spraying blood from a cut on his lip.

Carol let out a breath that she hadn't even realized she had been holding. Instantly Daryl's head shot up. But there was no way he could have heard her exhale from over there.

"Carol?" He choked and it was the sweetest sound she thought she had ever heard.

"Yeah, her. I still don't believe a word you say about that little thing. I seen field mice more bold than that one." Merle said as he watched Daryl worriedly.

"Merle, shut your goddamn mouth." He coughed again. "Might as well get your skinny ass out here woman. Don't you think I know your smell by now?"

Carol couldn't help but grin despite his appearance. He was alive. Everything was fine as long as he was alive. She stepped out from behind the wall and pulled one of the knives from her boot.

"I'm gonna pretend you didn't just say that, Dixon. She said as she pulled a crate over to stand on so she could reach the ropes and cut him down.

"The smell you part or the skinny ass part?" He didn't smile but she could hear the humor in his voice and that was enough for her.

"Holy shit," Merle muttered from a few feet away, "There ain't a damn thing wrong with that ass, little brother."

Carol ignored him and yanked the blindfold off Daryl's head before she cut the ropes. She hopped down from the crate just in time for him to slip his arm around her waist to keep himself upright. He was on his feet but not very stable. He brought his other hand up and touched the side of her head.

"What'd ya do to your hair?" He mumbled.

"Yeah, well, had to wear a disguise." She smiled and averted her eyes as he studied her.

"I'm gonna kick Rick's ass for letting you come. Where the hell is he?"

"It's just me, Daryl."

His eyes turned to slits. "Where the fuck is Rick?" He coughed again and doubled over. She held him up as best she could until he could right himself again.

"He's at home. He thought that this Governor guy would show up there, try to take the prison. He couldn't risk leavin." She cupped his face in her hands. "Calm down, okay?"

"So, he just sends you here? He let you come alone?" His voice was deadly quiet. Carol spared Merle a glance. He seemed to be enjoying the drama that was unfolding before him.

"I didn't come alone. I came with a few guys. New guys." She almost flinched away from his glare. That muscle clenched in his jaw. She could feel it under her palm.

"You hear that, Daryl? Officer friendly could have gotten your woman here killed. What do you plan on doin about that?" Merle asked with a smirk.

"Fuck off, Merle. I don't need nobody's permission to do a damn thing. You got that? He said no. Tried to order me to stay. It didn't work out well for him. Don't make this out to be somethin bigger than it is. Shut your stupid, sexist redneck mouth before I kick your teeth out." Which was something Carol wanted to do before the man had even said anything. She remembered Glen's tortured face.

"You kiss my brother with that dirty mouth, little miss? I don't know about him but a woman who can talk like that is a real turn on. Makes me kinda wonder what else it can do, when it ain't makin threats that is." He winked at her.

Carol growled and tried to take a step towards him but Daryl stopped her. "We ain't got time for this. We gotta get the hell outta here." He whispered in her ear. "Merle, you talk to her like that again and I'll kick your teeth out myself."

"Well, well. Look who's balls finally dropped while big brother was away. Ain't the two of you just a match made in heaven."

Before either of them could respond all three heads shot up as they heard the sound of a door opening at the top of a set of stairs that Carol hadn't even noticed.

"Get out. NOW!" Daryl hissed as the sounds of heavy footsteps grew closer to the bottom of the stairs.

She wasn't planning on going anywhere but she did dart back behind the wall she had been hiding behind before.

"What the hell?" A man that Carol didn't recognize muttered as he saw Daryl standing there leaning against the wall for support. "Johnson! Get down here! Looks like we got ourselves a regular Houdini." The man crossed his arms and smiled at Daryl. He wasn't a very big man. Just a few inches taller than Carol but he had some muscle. His hair was long and stringy. He had a beard that was a few shades darker than his dirty blonde hair.

"How the hell?" Another man, bigger than the first but just as unkempt, muttered as he saw what the first man was looking at.

"I thought the same thing." The first man said.

"Should we go wake the Governor?" Johnson asked.

"Nah, this was it anyway. It don't really matter if he's tied up or not. You ready to watch little brother bleed out, Merle?"

Carol ran to what looked like an oversized furnace and kicked the aluminum door as hard as she could. She squeezed into the small space between the furnace and some stacks of plastic containers.

"What was that?" She heard the first man ask.

Probably rats. We've been hearin it all day." Daryl said. He was trying to keep them from coming after her. She cursed him under her breath.

"Go check it out, Johnson."

She heard his footsteps coming closer. There wasn't any reason for him to take his time. There wasn't any space big enough for a grown man to hide. She pictured Daryl tied up and bleeding and she smiled to herself as the man drew closer. Just as she expected he walked right past her hiding spot without even looking her way. She silently slipped out behind him, knife in hand. She mirrored his steps until he stopped in front of the door. She only took a second to line up her shot, remembering what Daryl had taught her, then with no hesitation at all she plunged the knife into the base of his skull in one smooth upward thrust.

She yanked the knife out and wiped his blood on her pants leg as his body crumpled to the ground at her feet. She had killed many Walkers before but this was the first time she had killed a living person. She supposed she should feel something. Remorse. Regret. But all she felt was a grim satisfaction.

The next one would be a lot trickier. Soon he would either come looking for Johnson or he would go back up the stairs to get reinforcements. She couldn't risk him sounding any kind of alarm so she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders right before she entered the room again.

"Fuck." Daryl grumbled as he shook his head. The man had cuffed him to the same table Merle was cuffed too.

The guy turned, gun pointing right at her head. Carol held up her hands, still holding the blood smeared knife.

"Drop the weapon." The man ordered. Carol did as she was told, dropping the knife and even kicking it towards him. "Very good. Now, where is Johnson?" He asked as he picked her knife up off the floor.

"Oh, was he that big guy? Sorry, he checked out. But don't worry. I made it painless. I ain't plannin on bein so nice when it's your turn." She smiled.

"Jesus, Carol! Just shut the fuck up!" Daryl groaned.

Even Merle gave her a quick head shake as he stared at her. She got a little nervous when she saw the look in his eyes. Like he wanted to help her. She didn't think Merle was the helpful type so she must have really been in trouble.

The man glanced at Daryl and then back to her. A huge smile broke out on his face as he kept glancing back and forth between the two of them. "So, this is pretty interesting. You two know one another?"

Neither of them said a word. Merle was still giving her that warning look.

"No taker's, huh? Not feeling to chatty tonight?" He asked as he raked his eyes down the length of her body. His creepy grin never faltered as he circled her, moving closer and closer. "Very, very nice. Little brother's got himself a tight little piece here, don't you think, Merle?"

Carols heart lurched. This wasn't the same as it had been when Merle was saying stuff to her. She knew all he was doing was trying to get a rise out of her. This man was not. She felt his hand slide around her hip. He was still behind her so she couldn't see his face. She caught Daryl's eyes and held them.

Daryl lunged as far as the cuffs would let him and she winced, knowing how bad it had to have hurt his mangled wrists. "Keep your fucking hands off her!" He growled.

The man laughed. "You don't seem to be in any position to be giving me orders, boy."

Merle whispered something to Daryl then and his eyes went wide. He gaped at Merle and sagged back against the wall in defeat.

"So, tell me, Darlin'. How do you know my new friend Daryl?" She felt something cold press against her skin right under her jaw bone. She didn't have to see it to know it was the barrel of the gun. She swallowed loudly. "Answer the question." His tone was getting impatient.

"He's just my friend. He's a part of my group."

"Come on now," He moved the gun away from her face, sliding it down her neck and across the tops of her breasts, "I don't think you're being very honest with me. You sure he isn't more than that? It would make this a lot more fun for me." He laughed as he moved the gun down further. Daryl lunged again but kept his mouth shut. He wouldn't move his eyes from hers.

"No. I swear." She ground her teeth together when she felt his hand on her ass. She just needed to bide her time until she could figure out a way to kill him. And just like she knew that she was going to save Daryl before she even knew he was still alive, she knew this man was going to die tonight. "He's just my friend."

"Well, maybe it's better this way. It'll give him a chance to see you naked before he dies." She felt the gun barrel press against her temple. "Take your shirt off for me, sugar."

Carol did as she was told and was surprised to see Merle look away from the corner of her eye. She was still staring at Daryl who's own eyes never wavered from hers. She really wanted to strangle Maggie now. She missed being frumpy old Carol. She couldn't wait to go home and change her clothes. And burn the ones Maggie had given her. She felt ridiculous. And now would be a really good time to just blend in.

"Like I said before, very nice." The man crooned as he slid the gun barrel across her stomach. The hand that wasn't pressing the gun to her grabbed her by the hip and jerked her backwards until she was pressed against him. He slid his hand up her side.

"Come on James. There's plenty of other women out there. Why don't you just kill her and get it over with?" Merle asked. His voice was acidic.

"Stay out of it, Merle." Carol said evenly but she didn't take her eyes of Daryl's. She was worried. He was pale and the look in his eyes was scary. Like he was dead already. But she had an idea. She didn't know this man at all but she remembered Daryl's reaction that day at the guard tower. He'd been easily distracted. When people were distracted people made mistakes. When people made mistakes it got them killed. "If I needed your help I would ask you for it." She winked at Daryl and gave him a quick smile.

"That's right Merle. Take this lady's advice."

A little life came back to Daryl's face when he noticed the change in hers. He knew she had an idea. "So, if you plan on rapin me tonight, the least you can do is tell me your name, honey." She said as she craned her neck so she could look at the man behind her.

"The names James, Sugar. And you don't sound too upset about what I'm about to do to you." He had stopped running the gun along her skin. "You sound a little interested."

She took a deep breath and slowly ran her hand over the hand that was gripping her hip. Merle and Daryl were both watching her now, their faces more curious than anything else. She pulled gently at the mans hand and moved it towards the button of her jeans. "Maybe I am. It's hard to find a real man now days. You strike me as somebody who can show a girl a thing or two. And not take any shit in the process. I kind of like that."

"You're bluffin." He said but the cockiness was gone from his voice.

"Nah." She shook her head and leaned into the man a little, "What good is bluffin gonna do a woman in my position, James? I'm gonna die tonight, remember? I might as well go out with a smile on my face, don't you think?" She didn't know how she was keeping her voice so strong. Hell, she was close to convincing herself. All she knew was that she had to get Daryl out. And she would do whatever it took to do that. "You remind me of a man I used to date back in high school." She laughed. "Talk about a good time."

Merle and Daryl glanced at one another and then back at her. This time she caught Merle checking her out and she gave him a pointed look. He smirked at her and she found herself smirking back. She was seriously going to kick his ass when they got out of this.

"Are you serious, lady?" All the bravado was gone from his voice. She'd never taken an acting class in her life but right now she wished she had. She'd have been really good at it.

"Turn me around so you can look me in the eye, James. You can look at my ass all you want later." Daryl gaped at her but Merle kept that smirk on his face.

James gripped her arm and spun her around to face him. She met his gaze unflinchingly. He stared at her for a long time and then let his gaze fall lower. The gun, unfortunately, was still pressed against her.

She mimicked what she had done with Daryl. She put her hands on his chest and gave him what she hoped was a seductive smile. She had never tried to seduce anyone in her life but when the corner of his mouth turned up she figured it was working.

"I might have to keep you around for a while, Carol. I believe me and you were meant for each other."

She snaked her arms around his neck and pressed herself against him. She was paying close attention to that gun. It wasn't pressed against her as hard. "See, no bluffin, darlin. Now, are you gonna kiss me or are we just gonna get right down to business? It's all up to you." She grinned.

She heard Daryl groan from behind her which caused James to grin back. She rolled her eyes. "Looks like you were right. I think somebody over there has themselves a little crush. You gonna do somethin about that?" She whispered as she pulled his face closer to hers.

That did it. He saw a chance to bug the Dixon brothers and he crushed her mouth with his. The gun left her skin. She kissed him back.

"Are you fuckin serious?" Daryl yelled behind her.

She wanted to vomit. Her stomach rolled with nausea but she kissed the man back. He shoved his tongue in her mouth, almost causing her to gag. It reminded her so much of Ed. She tugged at his bottom lip with her teeth. He moaned and then she opened her eyes wide and bit down as hard as she could. She hadn't expected so much blood. She slammed her hand down onto the hand that still held the gun and it clattered to the floor. She turned her head and spit out blood and the mans lower lip just as she went down in a crouch and pulled the knife from her boot. She used all her strength to ram the knifes blade straight up into his crotch. She yanked the blade out and then started stabbing. Her cool facade crumbled and she was shaking so bad that she was surprised she hadn't dropped the knife. The man hit the ground and she was on top of him, slashing and stabbing furiously.

"Carol! Goddamn it, stop! He's dead. More than dead." Daryl's voice was one of pure shock. She stood up and kicked the limp body a few times. "Fuck! Carol, enough."

She could feel the man's blood on her face and she wiped it off as best she could with the backs of her trembling hands before she turned back around to face them. When she did they were both pressed against the wall, looking at her like she was insane. She looked down at the knife still clenched in her blood soaked hand. She dropped it and hurried over to Daryl.

"I'm sorry."She breathed as he stared at her. She fished the lock pick out of her bra, smearing blood across the top of her chest. She met his eyes, "I couldn't think of anything else to do. I didn't mean what I said. I had to make him think I..."

"Calm down. You did good. Overkill maybe, but you still did real good. Breath." His voice was softer than she had ever heard it and he was looking at her like he'd never seen her before.

"Overkill? That's an understatement if I ever heard one." Merle grumbled.

She tried several times to pick the lock. Her hands were still shaking and they were slick with blood. Finally she freed one hand. He took the lock pick from her and quickly freed his other. She helped him up but he had to lean into the table for support.

"You okay?" She asked as she tried to steady him.

"I'm good. But you're a fuckin mess." He tried to smile but winced.

"I know. I was thinkin about that one day. When Glen came and you were trying to show me... stuff. I figured that a distraction kind of worked with you so maybe it would work with him. And then I kinda lost it."

"You were thinkin about that?" He laughed and then coughed.

"Can you guys finish up this conversation later? Like maybe when old Merle ain't cuffed to a table awaitin certain death?"

"Actually, Merle, I ain't too sure what the hell I'm suppose to do with you. After what you did to Glen. You really think the best place for you would be a prison full of people that want you dead?" Carol asked as Daryl knelt down in front of him and picked the lock.

"We can't just leave him here. That crazy asshole was gonna kill me and then let me turn. He was gonna leave Merle cuffed to the table so I'd eat him. Eat my own brother. The guy's insane." Daryl grimaced.

"I was under orders. I had to do what I did." Merle argued over his shoulder.

She ignored him. "Then we wont leave him." Carol said as she touched Daryl's arm. She just needed to feel him. After thinking he was dead she wanted to keep him close. He usually wasn't a touchy kind of guy unless they were fighting. He never pulled away from her anymore but she knew he wasn't comfortable. That's why it shocked the breath out of her when he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him when Merle walked off into another room. Merle didn't look like he had a mark on him.

His rough hands stroked her back and he laid his forehead against hers when she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I thought you were dead for sure." He mumbled.

"Ain't nothin killed me yet." She whispered. She felt better. Calm. He had that effect on her at times.

"Maybe you ought to put your shirt back on before Merle comes back. I think he's gonna try to be on good behavior but a man can only take so much, ya know?" He pushed her away gently but his hands still lingered on her skin.

"Oh, God!" She crossed her arms over her chest and then rushed to retrieve the discarded shirt.

Merle came back in then. He was fastening a mean looking metal contraption to his stump. "You girls ready to get the hell outta here?" He asked. He watched Carol warily as she went back to Daryl's side. "What the hell happened to you, woman?" He asked as he handed her a damp towel.

She frowned. "What do you mean?" She asked as she began scrubbing blood from her face and hands.

He shook his head. "I remember you. And you couldn't have done no shit like that," He gestured with his metal hand towards the mess on the floor that had formerly been a man named James. "So what was it? Where is that meek little thing from the quarry?"

Carol shrugged. "Your brother killed her. Now lead the way, Merle, I got men waitin on me out the back."

"I bet you do." Merle gave her one last quizzical look and then shook his head.

Carol retrieved the knives, shoving them back into her boots and followed Merle up the stairs. Daryl was leaning into him heavily, looking like he might pass out. At one point she actually had to go to his other side and help Merle hold him up. He groaned.

"What's wrong with him?" Carol whispered to Merle as they neared the exit.

"Probably a concussion. He's damn lucky if that's all he's got. Been in and out like this for hours." Merle grumbled.

"Quit talkin about me like I ain't even here." Daryl's speech was slurred.

Carol insisted on checking out the ally. Merle argued but he was supporting most of Daryl's weight now so there wasn't much he could do. When she came back and gave the all clear Merle was half carrying him to the fence. She spotted Tyreese and Allen hovering near the treeline pacing anxiously. When they spotted the threesome they ran to the fence and pried the hole open as wide as it would go.

"Merle," Carol hissed as they made their way to the fence, "You keep your mouth shut if you ain't got nothin nice to say, you got it?"

"If I'm bad are you gonna chew my face off?" He smirked.

"Go to hell." She said as they reached the fence. Merle stepped aside and let her help Daryl through the fence. Tyreese was on the other side, waiting to help. He grabbed a hold of Daryl and steadied him. Allen rifled through the bag at his feet and finally produced a bottle of water. Carol slipped through the hole and grabbed it out of his hands. She could still taste the mans blood on her tongue. She rinsed her mouth out several times but the taste wouldn't go away. She stumbled off to the side and threw up in the grass.

When she was done she rinsed her mouth out again. Turning she saw Allen had another bottle pressed against Daryl's lips and he drank greedily. It seemed like the only thing holding him upright was Tyreese. Daryl glanced up at the man and his heavy lidded eyes widened a little. "You're one big mother fucker, aintcha?"

"Jesus, Daryl." She admonished.

Tyreese just laughed. "I suppose so."

Carol glanced behind her and frowned. She saw that Merle was still on the other side of the fence, watching them with a grimace. "Come the hell on Merle! We ain't in the clear yet." She hissed.

"I'm goin back. Just wanted to make sure that Daryl made it out okay."

"Come on, Merle. We gotta go." Daryl called. "You can watch me beat Rick to death when we get there." He tilted his head towards Tyreese. "You see who he sends her off with?" His head lolled but he struggled to keep it up. "This guy coulda snapped her in half if he had the notion." He slurred.

"You don't have to worry about that. I wouldn't hurt her." Tyreese said in a quiet voice.

"Damn straight. Cause if you did I'd..." His head drooped as he lost consciousness.

"Is he...?" Carol gasped.

"He's fine. Just passed out." Tyreese said. He had him under the arms, keeping him upright.

"Seriously Merle, we need to get him to Hershel. Let's go. Now." Carol was aware of the desperation in her voice but she didn't care. She didn't like Merle. At all. But she knew if they left him behind and Daryl woke up to find him gone she would be the one he blamed. She couldn't let that happen.

"Merle, please. I can probably smooth things over with the group, okay. As long as you help me we can make this work. Please?"

He shook his head and took a step back. "What the fuck do you think is gonna happen to you people if we let that son of a bitch live? Huh? You think that prison of yours is gonna be safe for any of you? He'll slaughter you all like sheep. As soon as he regroups you're all dead. If I go back with you tonight we'll all be dead. Even you, Wonder Woman. He has to die. Tonight. After he finds those bodies you left in there we wont get another chance to get at him."

She glanced at Tyreese and Daryl. Merle was right. Something had to be done now. She thought of Judith and Carl and Beth. She couldn't let anything happen to them. If they ended it tonight then they wouldn't have to be looking over their shoulder all the time just waiting for the hammer to fall. Well, no more than they already did. "I'm coming with you." She slipped through the hole and stood in front of him with her hands on her hips.

"Carol, no. You can't do that. We did what we came here to do." Tyreese said from behind her.

Carol turned her head. "Get him to the car. You all wait for us. If something happens, if you see anyone or you spot a herd then you drive back to the prison and get him to Hershel. We can make it on foot. Allen, give me two of those hand guns." She pointed to the bag at his feet.

"Now hold on just a damn minute, lady. I never said I was takin' you with me. You think I wanna deal with his bitchin' and cryin' if somethin' happens to you in there?" Merle snapped as she took the guns Allen handed her.

"Ain't that cute, Merle. Now me and you need to get ourselves on the same level. I ain't askin' permission. And it goes both ways, you know. After what you did to Glen, I couldn't care less if you die tonight. Wouldn't mind bein' the one to put a bullet in your brain myself. But Daryl cares. If you're goin' in there then fine. But I'm goin' too."

"Goddamn it." Merle spat and then kicked at the dirt. "You think I need your help?" He snorted. "You need to go back to the way you were. Maybe you need somebody to put you in your place. I ain't like my brother. You mess with me and I'll hurt you. You remember that."

"Try it you stupid redneck." Carol clenched her fists in anger. They were too far away for the others to hear. She looked over her shoulder. They were still standing there watching them. Tyreese didn't look happy. "Go back to the car. This wont take too long." She called.

Tyreese nodded. "I'll see you soon." They turned to head into the woods but Carol stopped them.

"Hey", she called as she jogged back to the fence. "Don't let nothin' happen to him, okay."

Without a word they headed into the woods, Tyreese all but carrying Daryl.

Carol tucked the guns into the back of her pants and pulled her shirt down over them. "This can be easy or this can be hard, Merle. Truth is, we gotta find some kind of common ground. Neither one of us has any plans of lettin' go of him so we gotta compromise. I don't like you. I never have and I especially don't after Glen but if we're at each others throats all the time it ain't gonna do nothin' but hurt Daryl. And before I let you screw up everything we've all built, I'll blow your brains out while you sleep."

Merle gaped at her, realized he was standing there open mouthed and promptly closed it. "Did you just threaten me?" He barked.

"Yeah, I did. And I will make good on that threat if you fuck with my family."

"He's my blood, little lady. Not yours."

She glared at him. "You think that means a damn thing to him after everything that's happened? We've all kept each other alive. We've mourned our dead and we've killed and we've survived together, Merle. He wasn't livin in your shadow and he's his own man now. He'd never choose you over us. And even if he did I know for a fact that he wouldn't choose you over me. You best remember that."

She was bluffing. She couldn't honestly say that he wouldn't run off with Merle the first chance he got. But she could tell by the uncertain look in his eyes that he was having the same doubts. So they could try to get along for him. It was the best either of them could do.

"You think he'd choose a piece of ass over his own blood?" Merle tried to sound confident but it wasn't working.

"You willin to take the chance that he would?" She gave him a dry smile.

"I really don't like you. You know that?" He growled.

"Don't matter to me. Lead the way Iron Man. We got a Governor to kill." She motioned him on and with one last glare he turned and stormed off down the ally.

He slipped between two buildings and she silently followed him. She could see Main street but she didn't see any people. Merle put out his arm causing her to run into it. He backed into the wall and pulled her with him so they were both standing flat against it. His arm stayed pressed against her stomach. He pressed a finger to her lips and then pointed towards the street. Sure enough a few seconds later two men, with large guns, walked by slowly but niether glanced down the narrow space where Merle and Carol were hiding. He moved his finger from her face and bent down so he could look her in the eye.

"They ain't gonna pay too much attention to areas like this. They'll keep to Main street and the gate. Ya'll managed to do a bit of damage last night so most of the men patrollin are just civilians that don't know what the hell to look for to begin with. We need to do this fast,. Though, just in case."

"Where's the Governor's place at?" She whispered.

He pointed to the building on her left that they were walking next to. She frowned and glanced at him. "His apartments on the top floor of this buildin. The only way in is through the front doors. Or the roof. You wanna guess which we're goin for?" He asked.

"The roof?" She saw the utility ladder then. The building wasn't that tall. Just three stories but she was nervous about climbing the ladder and being seen by anyone that could be walking down the street. If they just happened to glance their way then they'd most likely be shot.

"There's an access door on the roof. Usually he puts a few men up there to guard it but with the way things are right now I ain't sure he would bother." Merle looked up at the ladder. "Well, what the hell you waitin for?"

"What? Why do I gotta go first?" She asked.

He held up the metal arm. "I'll make more noise than you. If someones up there then they'll hear me comin."

"What the hell were you plannin on doin if I hadn't insisted on coming with you?"

"I was gonna wait and try to get in through the front. Now I gotta rush it so my brother can get his head looked at. No thanks to you."

"Maybe if you hadn't kidnapped our people then none of this would have happened to him in the first place. You ever think of that one?" She snapped.

He shook his head. "I really really don't like you. And just so you know, I'm gonna be starin at your ass the whole time your climbin. So up you go." He made a kiss face at her.

She rolled her eyes. "You are such a dick." She climbed the ladder quickly and then slowly raised her head up over the ledge just enough for her to see. Merle had been right to send her up first because there, standing at the front of the building looking down on main street, was Andrea. Carol almost laughed. She was actually guarding the Governor! She had always tried way too hard. It was as though she was someone that was always so desperate to find her niche, but never could.

Carol lowered herself back down just a few rungs and looked down at Merle. She put her finger to her lips and shook her head. She pointed to the roof and then held up one finger, trying to let him know that there was someone there.

Merle motioned for her to come back down but Carol shook her head and looked over the ledge once more. Andrea hadn't moved. She was still looking down with her back to Carol with a gun stuck in her waistband. She moved herself up and over the wall and crouched there for a second, waiting. Andrea didn't move. The older building had several chimneys jutting out at odd intervals and Carol, staying low, darted behind the one that was closest to the other woman.

After Daryl had saved her ass on the farm he had taken it upon himself to keep an eye on her. Which meant that wherever he went, she went with him. Even hunting trips. She had hated it at first because she had been so clumsy and loud. She learned quickly to make herself as silent as she could to avoid any of his fits and accusations that it was her fault that he couldn't ever find anything to kill. When she would suggest staying at camp while he hunted alone he would just scoff at her like that wasn't even really an option. So, after a while, even in heavy boots and walking on frozen leaves she learned to be as silent as a ghost.

So on silent feet, with her gun in her hand Carol rushed towards Andrea. She used the butt of the gun to hit her in the back of the head. She slumped forward, unconscious, but Carol pulled her back so no one on the street below would see her. She hadn't enjoyed hitting her. Much. She mostly just felt sorry for her. She was a bit pathetic.

She beamed down at an angry Merle and motioned for him to come on up. He glowered at her but she just grinned back. When he finally made it to the top he glanced over at Andrea's crumpled form.

"You killed her?" He asked.

Carol shrugged. "I doubt it.

"Well," he grunted, "I never liked her anyway."

"Me neither." She said as she followed him to the unlocked door.

The stairway was pitch black but Merle seemed to be familiar with it so he took her hand and led her. Neither one of them were very comfortable with the contact but they couldn't risk her falling down the stairs and breaking her neck either so they dealt with it.

When they reached the Governors door Merle put his ear up to the wood and listened with a frown.

"What?" She mouthed.

He shook his head. "Pretty sure he's asleep. He's an early to bed sort of guy. Believes in beauty rest."

She reached for the knob but it was locked when she tried to turn it. "Fuck." She whispered as she fished the lock pick from her pocket. Merle laughed silently as she went to work.

The click of the lock sounded loud in the still silence of the hallway. They both flinched and then waited for a full minute, both pressed an ear to the door. When they heard nothing from inside Carol turned the knob, this time the door swung open on quiet hinges.

Enough moonlight filtered into the room that Carol could make her way around okay. Merle seemed to already know where everything was but, of course, that was because he had been this creeps right hand man. Sort of the same thing Daryl was in their group.

She noticed that there was a hum to the room that she wasn't used to anymore. Seemed like the Governor got to enjoy a little of the old life. There was an oven with it's digital numbers glowing. It was funny how strange that looked to her now. She was too primitive. It almost made her laugh. The refrigerator hummed quietly. They had generators at the prison but they were seldom used. Their showers were cold because usually they only used the electricity for cooking. And sometimes not even then if she didn't need to use the ovens.

She followed Merle into a room right off the kitchen. The door had been left ajar. When Merle pushed the door open they could make out the Governor's sleeping form. His back was to them and he was snoring softly.

They both stood there silently next to the bed for a few seconds before Merle drew a gun, aiming it at the man's head. Carol put a hand on his arm to stop him from shooting. An idea was forming and she wanted to talk to him about it. But he just shook her hand off and looked at her like she was stupid. She shook her head at him.

She drew her own gun and made a downword motion and pointed to the sleeping man. Trying to convey to him that they should just knock him out. He rolled his eyes at her and once more took aim. She stuffed the gun back into her pants and shoved his arm. He pushed her hard in the shoulder and she stumbled back a few feet before she caught her balance. When she recovered she walked up to him and kicked him hard in the back of the knee almost causing him to fall. He shoved his own gun back into his waistband and then grabbed her by the throat, squeezing painfully.

They glared at one another in the dim light. She dug her nails into his forearm as she tried to pry his hand away from her. Finally he let go. There was definitely going to be a bruise there tomorrow. Before he could take a step back however, she punched him in the nose. He hissed in pain. They both spared the Governor a glance but he was still sleeping. She didn't know how. And she didn't care. Merle grabbed her by the throat again but let go when she rammed her knee into his groin. He fell to his knees and then grabbed for her leg. She kicked him in the face, drew her gun and pointed it at him. He froze and then wiped at the blood on his face. He was pissed.

She moved the gun from him to the Governor. "Wake up asshole." She said loudly. Merle jerked at the sound of her voice. They had managed to scuffle in silence. He got up from his knees stiffly, his hand covering his crotch.

The Governor sat straight up and reached quickly for the pillow. "Another inch and you're a dead man."

"Carrie?" He asked sleepily.

"Carol, actually. Put your hands in the air, Philip." He did without hesitation.

"What is this?" He demanded.

"You're gonna tell my friend here where you keep the duct tape. Then the three of us are gonna go on a little walk."

Merle glared at her and then reached over and turned on the bedside lamp.

"Merle, I think he needs to know we mean business. Cut off his fingers."

The eye that wasn't covered grew wide. "Kitchen. Last drawer on the right." He shook his head. "There's no way you two will get away with this. My men will hunt you down like game."

"I killed your men." Carol said sharply. "You know, you should be more careful who you let through those gates. You could possibly let in some psycho, ya know? There are a lot of dangerous people in this world." She grinned.

Merle secured the tape around the Governors head and then bound his hands. When they had him sitting up in one of the kitchen chairs Merle finally turned to her. "What the hell are we doin? Other than wastin time?" He snapped. "We need to kill him now and get the fuck out."

Carol nodded. "It's risky, but think about it. Picture what he did to Daryl. You wanna put a bullet in his brain? Make it all quick and clean? He needs to pay for what he did. We're gonna take his ass to prison."

Merle's scowl melted and he looked at her with a surprisingly fond expression on his face. "My God, woman. He's turned you into a monster. You're like a Dixon... With brains. Never thought I'd see it."

"Aw, Merle. Are we bonding?" She smiled at him sarcastically.

He snorted.

"Okay, lets kill the lights and get the hell out of here." She jerked Philip out of the chair but Merle was the one that had to man handle him out of his apartment. Getting him to the back was a bit harder since they had him bound and they couldn't take him down the ladder. So they waited, looking out one of the dark downstairs windows until the street was empty. They didn't have much time before another patrol would stroll through so they drug him quickly around the side of the building and then made a break for the woods.

Carol handled what few Walkers they ran into while Merle kept a hold of Philip. Philip wasn't used to being in a position where he wasn't the one calling the shots. He looked scared and that made Carol smile to herself. She wanted him scared. He looked like he wanted to cry.

"So, what's really goin on between you and my baby brother?" Merle asked as he dragged Philip along.

Carol shrugged. "Nothin interestin. He taught me how to take care of myself and to not take any crap from people." She smiled. "We're always together so people talk but that's all it is. Talk. There ain't nothin going on, Merle."

Merle snorted and Carol glanced at him. He sounded just like Daryl when he did that. "That's a bunch of bullshit, Sweetheart. What you did tonight, that ain't something friends do for each other. You were after blood. You didn't just kill James. And friends don't risk their life for each other either. Do you know how lucky you are to have made it out of that place alive?" He shook his head. "Nah, friends don't do all that. Ya'll are somethin else."

"That's how you gotta be now days. If you care about someone then you sacrifice for them. I don't think that's somethin you know much about."

"You don't know nothin about me. Don't start makin assumptions." He growled.

"You're right, Merle. I don't." She agreed easily.

It was quiet for a long time. They hadn't seen any Walkers for a while.

"So, ya'll ain't never...?"

Carol groaned. "No, Merle."

"Why not? Makes sense if you ask me."

"But I didn't ask you."

"What about when you two were sharin the blankets over the winter? Not even then?" He wasn't going to let it go.

"Nope. Not even then."

"Well?" He pressed.

"Well what?" She sighed.

"You never told me why you two ain't."

She shrugged. "It never came up."

Merle laughed. "Yeah it did. He's been talkin out his head all day. He mentioned a few heavy moments."

"I thought we didn't like each other, Merle? Why do you keep talkin?"

He draped his arm over her shoulder. The one that was made of metal. "I think I've changed my mind about you, Carol. I think me and you are gonna get along just fine."

She growled but let the arm stay where it was. "You're over me kickin you in the balls?"

He scowled. "I'll tell you what. I'll forgive you for kickin my nuts into my throat if you tell me one thing."

She frowned. "I guess I can do that."

"You want him, don't you?"

"Jesus, Merle. Can you just drop it already?" She fumed.

He did and she was thankful. She didn't want to talk about any of this at all, let alone with Merle Dixon. If Daryl had wanted her that way then he would have done something about it by now. That day at the watch tower was the only 'heavy moment' she could think of and all that had been was a fluke. He reacted to her like any man would have reacted to any woman in the same situation. She didn't take it as a sign of his interest in her. There wasn't any reason he would be.

"You know, I had to stop him from goin after that husband of yours one night at the quarry." Merle said after a few minutes of silence. "We were comin back from a hunt and we was walkin by your camp. All of a sudden we heard you yelp and then he just laid into you. I thought that boy was gonna have a stroke he was so pissed."

Carol frowned. "Why didn't he say anything then?"

He shrugged. "Cause I told him not to. You wasn't his to be protectin. Told him if he got in the middle of your mess I'd beat the shit out of him.

"Thanks a lot, Merle." She said dryly.

"Hey now. I wish I woulda let him. He musta seen somethin in you that I didn't see. And that was the last time I saw him till last night. He made a beeline for the woods, I went back to camp and passed out on some pills. The next day was when your friend cuffed me to that roof in Atlanta."

Carol sighed. "Yeah, I gotta figure out what to do about you once we get back."

"I know." He said quietly, almost regretfully. "They're gonna give me the same welcome as they are gonna give this sack of shit." He muttered and then gave Philip a shove.

"You kind of brought that on yourself, Merle." She said coldly, remembering that what he had done to Glen wasn't much different than what Philip had done to Daryl.

"I'll do what I got to do. I ain't leavin my brother again and I ain't gonna try callin your bluff. No matter what I think of ya'lls little rag tag group, it's still your group. You wont leave them. He wont leave you. I ain't leavin him. You see the pattern here?" He grumbled.

"But whether you stay ain't up to me and Daryl. We're gonna have a battle on our hands when it comes to you. If Rick forced you out then I'll leave. I wouldn't put Daryl in a spot to have to choose. I would hate it, though. You have your problems with them but they're the only family I got. Leavin them would hurt." She hated to think she just may end up leaving the group. Especially over Merle. But if it came to that then she would have to.

"You'd go if they kicked me out?" Merle asked, astonished.

"Don't flatter yourself. Like I said, we sacrifice. I couldn't really tell him to choose between me and you. He's deemed himself my keeper for some reason. Guilt, maybe. Either way, I'll stick with him, even if it means goin on the run with the likes of you."

He shook his head. "Friends my ass."

They were close to the clearing now so they ended the conversation. Carol was tired of defending her relationship with Daryl. Not just to Merle either. It was everyone anymore.

Before long they could make out the clearing. It was finally sinking in that they had made it. She left the prison thinking that she probably wouldn't make it out alive and not knowing if Daryl was dead. And now they were both fine. The only downside was Merle but she wasn't going to worry about that right now. She had done it. Weak little Carol pulled off a jailbreak. She laughed

Merle smiled. A real one. It was the first time she'd ever seen him do that. "What's so funny?"

"It's a bit liberating." She was grinning like a fool and didn't care.

"Is it now?" He grinned back.

"I did it. I broke into a heavily secured town, killed two men, knocked out a guard, kidnapped a Governor and busted the Dixon brothers out of Woodbury." She laughed again as they broke through the trees.

He finally dropped his arm from her shoulders. "You are somethin else, woman. Anybody ever told you that?"

"I've heard it a time or two." She said as she scanned the area for the car. Tyreese and Allen were hurrying towards them. Allen naturally launched into questions about the prisoner and Merle. Carol was beaming. Tyreese hugged her, lifting her off the ground. She was still flying high off her victory so she hugged him back before he put her back down on the ground.

"I was sure you were gonna get yourself killed in there." He said with a shake of his head. "You're friend's been awake for a while now. I gotta warn you, he's really pissed. He's done cussed us out twice. He hit Allen. I broke them up before it got ugly. I feel sorry for you, though."

She felt the smile fall into a frown. She couldn't believe he'd actually tried to fight Allen. She glanced at Merle. He looked at her and then Tyreese and then back to her with a frown of his own. Without another word she took off towards the car where she saw him standing, arms crossed. It was too dark to see his face yet but she could imagine the scowl he was wearing.

"Daryl, I'm sor..." She stopped talking when he covered her mouth with his hand.

"Don't you fuckin tell me your sorry, Carol. You could have gotten your idiot self killed!"

"I had to go back in there. Merle was..." He put his hand over her mouth again

"I ain't even got to that yet!" He fumed and paced back and forth. "You left the prison! With two men that you don't even know. You know how fuckin dumb that was? They could have done anything to you out there! And then you talk your way into that goddamn town! They could have blown your brains out as soon as they seen you! And then after all that, like all that wasn't enough, you take off again on some sort of fucked up mission with, Merle! Merle of all people?"

She let him rant without a word. She was actually happy to see him so mad. It was better than half conscious. When he was finally done yelling at her he just stood there staring. "Are you done?" She asked quietly.

The others were closer now and she knew they had heard every word he said. He glared at them.

"Are you?" He snapped.

"Done with what? I'm just waiting on you to finish up with your tantrum."

"Are you done bein a dumb ass?" He took a step closer forcing her to look at him.

"Yes. Are you done actin like an asshole?" She countered.

"What are we suppose to do with him?" Allen asked pointing to Philip.

"Throw his ass in the trunk." Merle grunted as he came over to stand next to Carol. "Why don't you cut her some slack, little brother. She risked her life to save yours. If I was you I'd watch how I talked to her." There was a challenge in Merle's voice.

"Don't tell me how to talk to her. It ain't none of your damn business. Matter of fact you need to stay the hell away from her. It was your stupid ass that took her back in." They glared at each other for a minute then Daryl squinted. "The fuck happened to your face? You two run into trouble?"

Carol had forgotten about the fight they'd had in Philips room.

Merle didn't answer right away which caused Daryl's eyes to widen. He looked Carol over before he grabbed her arm and jerked her away from Merle's side. "If you touched her, Merle, I swear to God I'm gonna fuckin kill you!" He roared.

Merle held up his hands. "I didn't." But then he must have remembered grabbing her by the throat because his face changed and he flicked his gaze back to her.

"Merle, you mother fucker." He took a step forward but Carol grabbed his arm to stop him.

"He didn't touch me. I did all that cause he was tryin to shoot Philip and I wanted to bring him to the prison. He just took it. He didn't hit me back."

"Bullshit. I know my brother. He ain't beyond hittin a woman if she hit him first and I know for a fact that you'd hit him." He glared at her and then grabbed her roughly by the jaw and tilted her head so he could look her her face.

"I didn't have a chance to hit her back. She kicked me in the balls and then stuck a gun in my face. You should keep her on a leash, little brother."

"Carol." He groaned but his grip loosened.

"We need to go." Tyreese said as he slammed the trunk closed.

Daryl opened the car door and shoved her in. "We ain't done. Not by a long shot." He growled in her ear as he slid in next to her. Merle squeezed in on the other side.

"How you feelin?" He asked Daryl over her head.

"Like breakin your stupid neck." Daryl grumbled as he stared out the window.

"Stop bein such a dumb ass. We're free, got that bastard snug in the trunk, we both get to spend the whole car ride back to prison rubbin thighs with a good lookin woman. What is there to be so pissed about?"

"Just shut up, Merle." She said quietly.

"Don't speak up for me, woman, I can tell my brother to shut his trap without your help." Daryl snapped.

"Why don't you stop bein such a jackass to her! She saved us both and all I've seen you do is give her hell. You'd be dead if she hadn't done what she did. You should be kissin her ass right now." Merle said as he glared at Daryl.

Tyreese and Allen glanced at each other and then Tyreese pressed on the gas pedal a little harder.

"Mind your own goddamn business, Merle. You don't know shit about us so you need to drop it. She ain't none of your concern.

"You ungrateful little shit! Who the hell do you think you're talking too? Huh? The only reason I ain't knocked your teeth out is cause I know it'd piss her off. But that's only gonna go so far."

"Merle, please. Just let it go, okay?" She admonished him quietly.

He looked down at her for a few seconds and then, surprisingly, he nodded and turned his face back towards the window. He patted her knee for a second and then just left his hand there, face still looking away.

Daryl stared wide eyed at the, now docile, Merle. Then they turned to slits as he looked from Merle to her and then back again. "Oh that ain't gonna happen you redneck son of a bitch." His voice was quiet.

"We'll see little brother. We'll see." Merle smiled but didn't turn his head to look at either of them.

Carol wasn't sure what had just happened between them but she was glad that the Dixon's finally shut up. The silence was welcome. She kept glancing over at Daryl. He was still tense. His hands were clenched in his lap, the knuckles white and his eyes were narrow. "How'r you feelin? You're head, I mean?" She already knew how he was feeling. He was mad.

His eyes flicked to her face but he didn't turn his head to really look at her. She didn't know why but this made her nervous. She sighed and looked away. He was doing it. Pulling away like she was always afraid he would. Silence filled the car once more but Tyreese decided then that it was a good time to talk.

"I think Rick is gonna put me on watch in the morning in the tower. He said I had to partner up with someone from your group, since he don't know us well enough to trust us yet. Figured since we've already spent so much time together today that you could be the one to go with me."

"No." Daryl growled. "Rick don't trust you enough to keep watch but he trusts you just fine to take her to Woodbury? That's real good to know. She's my partner, man. Find your own."

Carol gaped at him. She understood why he was upset but she wasn't going to let him start pushing her around. She didn't answer to no one and it was him that had drilled that into her head. "You makin calls for me now?" She snapped.

The muscle in his jaw clenched violently. "Don't start. This can wait till we get home."

"No." She said in a low dangerous voice, "It can't. You ain't my keeper. You wanna make calls for me in front of everybody like I'm some pet of yours? Then I can tell you to back the hell off in front of them too. I can take care of myself, Daryl.

His eyes moved to Merle and then to Tyreese and then he dragged them back over to her. He nodded. "Yeah, I'm startin to see that." He leaned back in his seat. "She's all yours big man. Good luck."

"That ain't what I meant and you know it. Why the hell are you actin like such an ass?" She hissed.

"Then learn how to say what you mean, Carol. I just did."

Allen cleared his throat and glanced back at them. "I know this sounds stupid but, um, did the two of you just break up?"


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter is a little shorter than the first two and much shorter than chapter three. This was a harder one because I had to tone it down a bit. Until now Carol's character has been so blown up that I wanted to tone her down a little. So far I've written her in these extreme situations where she's a woman on a mission and sometimes I got caught up in the whole "warrior" aspect of the Carol in my head. But She is still Carol and in these next few chapters I am going to try to integrate the warrior in my head with the nurturer in the show. I've deviated so much from what we are used to seeing on T.V. that I don't want to lose who she actually is. There is less action here but I think the dialogue between the characters is still entertaining. Wait a few chapters and there is more action to come. I am not even close to being done with this story... Hope you enjoy and thanks to everyone that has read and reviewed. It keeps me writing.**

Chapter Four

Carol felt more than heard Merle laughing. She threw a sharp elbow into his ribs. This night had really gone downhill. She had been proud of herself for what she did but somehow Daryl made her feel like she'd done something wrong. She knew he would have done the same thing for her. So what was his problem? She sighed heavily.

The tension in the car was so heavy she found it hard to breath. When the guard towers came into view she let her own head rest back against the seat. She was exhausted and she never thought she would be so happy to see a prison in her life. She was trapped in a car with one brother glaring and one grinning. She hoped she never had to be the center of an angry Dixon sandwich again. She wanted her cell and her bunk and her clothes. She wanted everything to go back to normal.

Axel was already opening the gate as they drove up to it. Even creepy Axel was a comforting sight to her. She saw Rick running towards them with Ben and Carl at his heels.

"Look," She said as she turned towards Merle, "You stay in the car until I can talk to Rick, okay? Let me try to smooth this over a little and please don't make it any harder on me than it has to be. I need you to really try Merle. I don't want to leave."

"Scouts honor." He held up his metal stump and grinned but it fell away quickly. "Tell him I agreed to stay locked up until we sort this all out, okay. That should buy us a day or two." He didn't look happy.

"You'd do that?" She breathed. She could at least get him inside if he agreed to be locked in a cell. "You can stay in my cell. It's more comfortable than the others."

"What the hell?" Daryl choked. "You're gonna share your cage with Merle." It sounded like Merle's name left a bad taste in his mouth.

"No. I'm gonna loan it to him. I can sleep somewhere else."

"You can bunk with me if you want. I'm not sharing with anyone else." Tyreese said helpfully. Only it definitely wasn't helping.

Daryl growled loudly, cursed and then shoved the door open and nearly stumbled out.

"Damn it." She muttered as she slid out after him. She didn't want him falling over or passing out again. "Daryl stop." She said as he stormed away. She caught his arm but he jerked away and then stared down at her coldly. "What? What did I do?" Her voice cracked and that cold look slipped a little bit before he put it back in place.

"Go talk to Rick, Carol. I'm done talkin to you." And with that he turned and stormed off towards the prison, avoiding Rick and the others.

She stared after him. It had been a long time since he had jerked away from her like that and even longer since he had looked at her that way. She wanted to get angry, knowing that she hadn't done a thing to deserve the way he was treating her. She wanted to turn it into the same rage that had been the fuel that had changed her over the past nine months. But she didn't feel angry. She just felt lost. And that made her feel weak.

She flinched when she felt someone touch her shoulder.

"Sorry." Tyreese said as he removed his hand. "Are you okay?"

"I'm..." her voice trailed off as she spotted Rick shaking Allen's hand, grinning from ear to ear. She gave Tyreese what she hoped was a smile and walked away towards Rick.

When he saw her coming towards him he shook his head, still grinning. He met her half way and lifted her off the ground in another crushing hug. She hugged him back tightly, once again needing the comfort he was offering her.

"We need to talk, Rick." She said when he finally sat her down. She told him everything and when she was finished he stared at her for a long time before nodding. He was surprised about Merle agreeing to be locked up for now but he was most amazed about was the fact that they had actually kidnapped the Governor.

He agreed to go in ahead of them to tell the rest of the group what had happened while Carol went to get Merle from the car. Tyreese and Allen lifted the Governor out of the trunk. She felt so tired. She felt old for the first time in a long time.

"What the hell was that all about?" Merle asked as they slowly made their way to the prison.

"What?" She asked dully.

"My brother. What the hell did he say to you?"

She shook her head. Refusing to have a conversation about Daryl with Merle. Not again.

"You know he's just pissed, right? You two will patch things up."

If she didn't feel so bad she would have laughed. Here he was, big bad Merle, trying to make her feel better. No one would have believed it. "I'll make sure you have some food and water in there. I have some books and stuff." She muttered as she led him through the empty cell block. Rick must have sent everyone else off while she dealt with Merle.

He kept glancing at her with a worried look in his eye. This Merle was someone she could deal with. Someone she could even grow to like. But she worried that the other Merle was gonna make his presence known again soon.

When she locked him in he went straight to the bunk and laid down. It had been a rough couple of nights for them.

She went around the corner to the cell Hershel used when someone needed doctoring. It had a single cot instead of bunks.

Daryl was there, just like she knew he would be. He was squirming and cursing under his breath as Hershel prodded at the back of his head. What she hadn't noticed before were some serious lacerations crisscrossing his bare chest. She gasped, causing both of them to look up at her.

"Oh good. You're here. I know your probably exhausted but could you take over from here. Nothings broken. He's only got a slight concussion but those cuts need cleaned pretty badly. The last thing we need is for him to get an infection." He gave her a one armed hug on his way out. "Glad to have you back, honey." He kissed her cheek and then disappeared around the corner, leaving them alone. He must have been really worn out. Judith was a night owl and kept a lot of them up.

She sighed warily and removed all the items she would need from Hershel's bag. She refused to look at Daryl's face for fear of seeing that look again. She got down on the floor between his knees and soaked a washcloth in rubbing alcohol. She frowned as she touched the rag to the cuts, knowing that it had to burn like hell but Hershel had been right. They couldn't risk infection. He sucked in a breath, raised his arms and interlaced his fingers behind his head. Her hands were shaking.

She worked her way up, removing all the dried blood from his chest. It wasn't as bad as it looked at first. There was more dried blood on his neck and chin from where he had been hit in the nose so she started methodically wiping that away as well. He dropped his arms. She cleaned up his wrists too as his hand lay limp in her own. She knew he could probably feel hers shaking but he didn't mention it. He was silent as stone.

She wished he would say something but then again she was afraid of what he would say if he did. Things hadn't been this awkward between them since the farm and she hated it. Hated herself for not being able to stop it. She missed him already and he was right there in front of her. "This might sting a little worse than the rest." Her voice was so soft she hardly recognized it herself. She dabbed at a small cut on his bottom lip. She frowned when his lips parted so she could get to the cut better. She concentrated on the task at hand and not on how soft his lips looked. She shook her head slightly, trying to dislodge the unwanted thought.

Where the hell had that thought come from?

After all the blood was cleaned away from his face, which she managed to do without making eye contact, she was about to stand up but he stopped her with a hand on each side of her waist, keeping her where she was. She flinched at his touch and then cursed herself for it. What the fuck was wrong with her? She didn't look up. She stared at his bare chest instead.

"What do you want, Daryl?" She had been so calm throughout everything that had happened tonight that she was shocked to find her heart pounding painfully fast in her chest. All because she was too afraid to look at him. Afraid to have her fears confirmed that she had somehow made a horrible mistake and messed up everything they had built.

"Fuck." He muttered as he moved his hands away from her waist and brushed his thumbs across her cheekbones. They came away wet. "I really fucked this up tonight, huh?" His voice was unusually gentle. "Would you feel better if I told you that I'm a recoverin asshole that is bound to have a relapse every once in a while?"

She felt the corners of her mouth turn up in a small smile and a surge of relief that he was, in his own way, apologizing but she still couldn't bring herself to look at him until he forced her chin up. He studied her face carefully. "You didn't mess anything up." She mumbled. "You were right. Everything I did was stupid." She met his eyes. "But I didn't have a choice." She said in a voice that caused him to frown.

"My dumb ass ain't worth dying for." He grumbled as he let his hand drop from her face. He reached for another washcloth and started wiping at her face with it.

"Neither am I. Still wouldn't have stopped you from comin after me."

He ignored her statement and shook his head. "I can't believe you let that guy kiss you." He made a face and pulled the rag away to study her again.

She was surprised to see the amount of blood that was on the rag. She thought she had gotten it all when she cleaned herself up in the basement. "I didn't have much choice now, did I? I wasn't about to let him rape me while you watched. You said yourself, women can pull hair, scratch and bite and still be pretty bad ass."

"I never thought I'd see you in action." He shook his head and slid the cloth down to her neck. "That's gotta be the grossest thing I've ever had to watch in my life. You chewed his face off."

She scoffed. "I hardly chewed his face off. I bit his lip."

"Off. You bit the bastards lip... off." He said and then he grew still as he stared at something on her neck. He moved his head closer, eyes narrowing. "Merle do that?" He growled.

She tried to pull away then but he grabbed her wrists and held her still. "He really didn't mean too. I hit him in the nose. He was tryin' to get me away from him."

He took a deep breath and let her wrists go. "You sound like you did at the quarry." he grumbled. "Don't make up excuses for shit like that." He pointed to her throat and then continued cleaning her up, moving down to the blood that was smeared across her chest. His eyes flicked up to meet hers and then his lips twitched. "What's with the clothes?" His eyes held hers but his hand continued on.

She blushed furiously, from the question itself and the way he was looking at her. "Maggie." She croaked. "Michonne said that they must have sent scouts out and I was outside for a long time and they probably saw me so I had to do all this to make sure they didn't recognize me." She was rambling and she was breathing too heavily and that made her blush deepen since he would be able to tell since he was still cleaning the blood off her chest. His hand moved a little bit lower still and she let out a heavy breath. He kept his eyes on hers.

"You, okay?" He let the rag fall and then laid his hand flat against her chest. His skin felt hot on hers. "Your hearts beatin really fast. Should I go get Hershel?"

She shook her head quickly. "No. I'm fine." Her voice was rough in her ears. She took in a slow steadying breath. "I'm gonna burn'em as soon as I can. I look like an idiot."

He looked her over quickly and shook his head. "No you don't. And Maggie was right about you hidin yourself. Tryin to blend into the background. I've heard her gripin about it. Hell, I've had my hands all over you and even I didn't know what all was under there." His face reddened and he looked away. "Well, that came out all fucked up. You know what I meant. This stuff don't leave much to the imagination but it looks good. I mean, you look good wearin' it. Not good like, I've been lookin or anything. I just meant that it's easier to see certain things that..." He made a frustrated sound in the back of his throat and then shook his head. "Fuck, just burn the damn things."

Now that it was him uncomfortable she was able to laugh. "You been checkin me out tonight or somethin, Dixon?"

He scowled. "No. You want me to check you out or somethin, smartass?"

She laughed again and felt his muscles tense a little under her hands, which surprised her since she couldn't remember putting them there on his upper arms. She dropped them back to her sides. "So, you wont care when I go back to frumpy me?" She asked.

He shook his head. "Nope. You're a distraction and I ain't in the mood to watch all the men around here checkin out your ass."

"You jealous?" It was meant to be a joke but her tone was serious.

He ignored her question. "Stand up." He grumbled.

She did and was about to step out from between his knees, figuring she'd embarrassed him, but he grabbed her by the hips and yanked her towards him again. "Where you goin?" He asked with a smirk as he looked up at her. "We ain't done here."

"We're not?" She asked.

He shook his head. "Nope. That was the painless stuff." He tugged on the hem of her shirt and she felt a sharp pain. "Shoulda wore somethin looser. Bloods done dried to the shirt. It's gonna feel like I'm yankin off a scab." He frowned.

She had forgotten all about cutting her stomach on the glass but he must have seen it when James had made her take the shirt off. She had been too high on adrenalin to even feel the pain before but now it was starting to sting something awful.

"You ready?" he asked.

"Yeah." She nodded.

He yanked the shirt up quickly, causing her to hiss in pain. She looked down and was surprised to see how bad it really was. And now it was bleeding freely again. It was a long deep gash that ran from just below her bra all the way down to her hip bone. He grimaced. "All this coulda been avoided if you'd just kept your ass here. Ouch." He grumbled. "You sure you don't want me to find Hershel. This is bad."

"No, just clean it up. It's only still bleeding cause the shirt opened it back up. It ain't like I'm gonna bleed to death." She rested her hands on his shoulders as he soaked another rag. When he touched the alcohol to her flesh she hissed again and then reflexively dug her nails into him.

"Sorry." He mumbled as he went to work.

She gritted her teeth but didn't make another sound. He was moving slow which was good since he was being thorough and all but it was just prolonging the sting. "Come on, Daryl. You can move a little faster, you know."

He looked up at her with one eyebrow raised. "You got somewhere you need to be?"

"No. I gave up my cell, remember. I'm roomless at the moment. I should have at least grabbed my blanket."

He grabbed a tube of antibiotic cream and started smearing it into the wound. They both turned their heads at the same time when they heard someone clear their throat in the doorway. It was Rick. "Am I interruptin' somethin'?" He asked as he stared at them.

Carol turned her body so he could see the cut. "Just getting cleaned up, Rick. Nothin' to go all bug eyed about." She said as Daryl roughly turned her back to face him so he could finish what he was doing.

"Daryl, when you get done with that can I talk to you for a minute?" He asked.

"Nope."

Rick sighed. "I know your pissed off, okay. But we need to clear the air. I can't have this over our heads forever."

Daryl glanced at him and then continued on with taping gauze over the cut. He took a deep breath. "I was handcuffed to a table tonight, Rick. And while I was handcuffed you wanna know what I had to watch? Some sick fuck put his hands all over her. While he told me that I was gonna get ringside seats while he raped her." His eyes flicked towards Rick and then back again. "Made me watch while he told her to take off her clothes." He paused for a long time before he looked back up at Rick, his face still calm but Carol could feel the muscles in his shoulders tense up.

Rick was pale, eyes wide as he looked her over. "Oh, God."

"You know what that feels like? To sit there like? Not able to do a damn thing about it? Knowing that somebody you care about is about to be tortured and killed right there, while you just watch? Actually wishin that the sick freak would just kill'em fast?"

Rick was still looking at Carol who was staring wide eyed at Daryl while he spoke in that soft tone. She wanted to reassure Rick that nothing had happened but she couldn't force herself to say anything.

"Yeah, I didn't think so. It's a real fucked up feelin'. Makes a man think real hard, you know. Makes you think about all the shit you didn't say. All the shit you didn't do. All the times you hurt'em and how there ain't no more time to fix anything. It's scary, Rick. I really don't think I've ever been that scared. Not the day the world ended. Not the first time one of those things tried to take a chunk out of me. Not when I found Merle's hand on that rooftop in Atlanta." He took in a breath and his shoulders shuddered a little under her touch. "That's how it felt. And you know me. I don't scare easy."

"Daryl," Ricks voice cracked a little. "I tried to keep her safe. I tried to keep her here. I couldn't just lock her up. You'd have done the same thing if it was her. I told her no and she socked me in the mouth for it."

Daryl simply nodded.

"So, are we good?" Rick asked.

Daryl was silent for a few long moments but finally looked up at him again. "We're good. But from now on she's with me. You ain't in charge of making decisions for her. If she's gotta stay glued to my hip then so be it. But she wont be put in that position again."

Rick nodded and then looked back at her. "I'm sorry, Carol. I should have been there. I was just so sure he would have tried to take the prison. With Judith and Carl here I had to stay. Are you..." He didn't finish the question.

"She's fine." Daryl said before she could answer him. "She killed the man before anything too bad happened."

Rick gave her one last lingering look before he turned and left them alone once again.

Carol wasn't sure what she was suppose to say. She'd never expected him to say anything like that. Not to Rick. Not in front of her. Now she understood why he was so angry. But she was still confused. Where had all that come from? She sighed, causing him to look up at her as he taped the last bit of gauze to her skin.

"Looks like you're all patched up. As long as we keep it clean you outta be alright." His hands went back to her hips as he inspected his handy work. She tugged the shirt back down over her stomach and he looked up. "You wanna sleep with me tonight?"

"What?" She breathed.

He stood up, hands still on her hips. He seemed to be having a hard time keeping himself from touching her. "You know. Me, you, a bed. Sleepin? We've done it before, it's like ridin a bike, you don't forget how its done." He rolled his eyes. "What'd you think I was askin?"

"Nothin." She scowled but she was extra aware of his hands. She wanted to step away from him but she didn't move. Why did he have to leave his hands there. It was easier to ignore him when he kept his hands to himself.

"So, do you want to or not?" He asked impatiently.

"Sure. I need to check in on Maggie. I'd have never got you out of there if it hadn't been for her. Glen's a mess too." She frowned. "Merle bein here is gonna make things hard for a while."

His grip tightened at the mention of his brother. "Let's go then. I need to sleep. It's been a rough day."

"Go on then. I'll be up there soon." She laughed as he eyed her. "What? You plannin' on followin' me around for the rest of my life?"

"Maybe. Or until you finally choose yourself a man that can watch out for you himself." He shrugged.

"I don't need a man to watch out for me. I can do just fine on my own." She grumbled as she finally stepped away from his hands. "And I ain't lookin' for one either. My life's complicated enough without throwin' in more men. Takes everything I got to just to put up with you."

He scoffed. "What's so complicated about your life?"

She shook her head and turned away, ready to go find Maggie. She didn't answer him because the thing in her life that was so complicating right now was how she felt about him. Or how her body felt about him. Her mind was just fine. Everything else was acting with a mind of it's own.

He followed her towards Maggie and Glen's cell. She could feel him watching her which caused her to roll her eyes. There was light behind the bars so she knew she wasn't going to be interrupting anything. "Maggie?" She called softly.

Maggie poked her head out and then grinned. "I've been waitin' for you to show up." She let the smile fall. "If I'd known you was gonna bring Merle Dixon back here, I wouldn't have been so quick to help you get there." She looked up at Daryl then and reached out a hand to touch his face. He stiffened but let her place her hand there. "But I guess it was worth it to get you home. I'm glad you're okay, Daryl. But you keep your brother away from me, cause I'll kill him myself."

"Go for it." Daryl said and then finally backed out from under her hand.

Carol suppressed a laugh. Poor Daryl. Always so awkward. She felt his hand on her lower back and the laugh died away. Awkward with everyone else anyway. She sighed. "Is Glen okay?"

Maggie looked back towards the cell and nodded. "He was pretty banged up but he'll be fine. He kinda wants to kill Merle too, though. But we really are gonna try. I know hes your brother, Daryl, but your our brother too. So I'll do everythin I can to keep the peace." Her eyes moved to Carol and she lifted one corner of her mouth in a crooked smile. "You know I love you, right?" She asked.

"I know that, Maggie." Carol said, a bit confused. "I love you, too.

"Do you really mean that?" Her green eyes were large and intense.

"Maggie, you know I do. Why would you even ask me that?" Carol asked.

Maggie held up one finger and then rushed back into her cell. When she came back out she was carrying the bag Carol used to keep her meager clothes. Maggie handed her the bag with a grin. "Here. I got your clothes for you."

"Maggie, why the hell is this bag so heavy?" Carol groaned.

Maggie just shrugged and kissed her on the cheek. "Go on to bed, Carol. You look exhausted." She looked up at Daryl then and once more touched his face. Carol felt his hand stiffen on her back. "You can thank me later, Daryl."

"Maggie?" Carol growled.

"Good night. I'll see ya'll in the mornin'." And with that she darted back into her cell, pulling the barred door closed behind her.

"I told her not to do it." She heard Glen call.

Carol grimaced.

"What the hell was all that about?" Daryl asked as he steered her towards the perch.

"She's butterin' me up so I don't strangle her." Carol said tightly as she stomped up the stairs.

She took the bag and threw it onto his bed as he lit a lantern. "Why would ya want to strangle Maggie?" He asked.

She ignored the question and dumped the contents of the bag out. She groaned. "I'm gonna kill her. I'm gonna string her up and kill her." She stared down at the clothes she had dumped out. Nothing in the pile belonged to her. Every stitch of clothing she owned was gone.

"The hell?" Daryl muttered as he sat down on the bed and picked up a very skimpy pair of panties. Carol snatched them out of his hand, face burning. He looked at her and laughed which only made her more mad.

She started digging through the clothes, praying she would find something of her own but there was nothing there. Everything was too small to even sleep in. The sleepwear she did find bordered on pornographic. "This is so not funny, Dixon. I don't even have anything to wear to bed!" She hissed as she stormed over to where he kept his own clothes.

"There's this." He said, holding up something red and gauzy that Carol didn't even have a name for.

"Shut up." She said as she dug through his clothes. She pulled out a black button up shirt with no sleeves, of course. "Can I borrow this?"

He frowned. "You wanna share clothes now? No way. You got your own."

"Daryl, please. I'm not in the mood." She grumbled.

"Fine." He said as he started stuffing the clothes back into the bag.

She put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

"What?" He asked, looking up. "I said you can wear it."

"Turn around or somethin'."

"Why?" He asked as he laid his head on the pillow, still looking at her.

"So I can change. I can't sleep in these bloody things. It's gross." She huffed.

He pulled the pillow out from under his head and covered his face with it while she stripped off the stiff bloody shirt. She turned her back to him, just in case, and took the dreaded bra off. She glared at it for a second and then angrily tossed it over the railing.

"Why'd you make me cover my face if you was just gonna turn around in the first place?" She heard him ask from behind her.

She turned her head and glared at him. "Damn it, Daryl." She growled when she saw him watching.

He shook his head and then sniffed the pillow that he was still holding. "Did you sleep up here while I was gone?"

When the shirt was buttoned she turned around. "No." She grumbled as she shimmied out of her jeans. The shirt was long she so she wasn't worried about him seeing anything he wasn't suppose to.

"Yeah, you did." He stuffed the pillow back under head head while she turned off the lamp.

"Scoot." She whispered.

"No."

She growled. "Are you really gonna make me sleep on the floor? I'll just go bunk with Tyreese, then."

She jumped when she felt his hand wrap around her wrist. "You gotta sleep by the wall. That way if you decided to get up, I'll know it and I can make sure you don't do anything stupid."

She glared at him, knowing he couldn't see it in the dark. "Then move so I can get in."

"Go over." He grumbled and pulled her closer.

She did, making sure she did it fast. "Sometimes you are a real Jerk, Daryl.

He rolled over so he was facing her. "Then give me my shirt back." He laughed quietly.

She groaned. "Just shut up and go to sleep. It's been a long day."

She was tired. More tired than she had ever been in her life but that didn't mean she wasn't aware of how close they were now. She had her hands tucked in tightly under her chin but they were still touching his chest since they had to sleep so close together. She felt every breath he took wash over her which made her wonder how close his face was too hers. Her pulse quickened and she almost cursed out loud.

He reached out in the dark and placed his hand high up on her thigh and then snatched it back quickly when his skin touched hers. "You ain't got any pants on." He observed dryly.

"Its too hot up here for pants." She whispered, feeling her face get red again.

"I kept my pants on."

"But you ain't wearin' a shirt. Go to sleep."

He blew out a breath. "Fine."

She thought he had actually listened to her when a long time passed and he didn't say anything else. She didn't know where his hands were but he kept them away from her. A part of her wished he wouldn't and then the other part of her would call that part an idiot. She went back and forth with herself like that for a while. She remembered back over the winter and wondered what had changed. Or when. Because before, when they were sleeping in an even smaller space than this the only thing she thought about was how warm he was. What was wrong with her now?

"Are you asleep?" He whispered.

She opened her eyes. "No."

"Why not?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Why aren't you?"

She felt his shoulders move in a shrug of his own. "I'm an asshole sometimes."

"So you can't sleep?" She asked.

"Shut up and let me finish, woman. God."

"Sorry." She smiled.

It took him a while but he finally started talking again. "I'm an asshole sometimes but you know that I don't mean to be, right?"

She frowned in the dark. "I know."

He sighed. "That stuff I said to Rick. That was all true. When we were in that basement and I didn't know what was gonna happen to you, I really did think about all the times I treated you like shit. Some of the stuff I've said to you, makes me wonder why you ever bothered with me to begin with."

"That stuff is in the past. It don't matter now."

He sighed. "But I didn't figure I'd get a chance to make up for it. To tell you that I didn't mean that shit, you know?"

She wanted to reach out to him but she didn't. She kept her hands tucked tightly, not trusting herself to move. She wasn't used to this side of him. Not the side that he was showing now. And she knew that if she made one wrong move he would shy away, and maybe never bring it up again. She didn't want him to feel guilty about things but she did like to hear him talk. Especially when he was opening up like he was now. "I already know you didn't mean it."

"I've saved your life, I know that. A few times anyway. But I know that that don't make up for the times I've let you down. And I don't want somethin' to happen to either one of us before I'm able to tell you that I'm sorry."

She frowned. "I can't think of one time that you ever let me down. Not one."

He shifted beside her, moving closer. "That ain't true. You know that day I got shot? I could have found her that day. I know I could have. And then I fell down a fuckin' hill and impaled myself on an arrow. And I fucked it all up. One mistake. That's all it took. You coulda' had her back if it wasn't for that."

"That ain't true and you know it." She didn't care if she scared him away, she reached out and touched his face. She didn't want him to talk about this. This wasn't something they ever talked about. She felt the sting of tears in her eyes.

"It don't much matter what you say. Its what I know. I just need you to know that I'm sorry, alright. I tried and I failed and I wont ever be able to make that up. You gotta know that. And then I was so pissed at myself for failin' that I took it out on you. Put the blame on you so I wouldn't feel as bad. And I wish I'd have never done that."

She was quiet for a long time. She let her thumb trail across his cheek bone for a while before she trusted her own voice not to break. She hadn't known how bad he really felt about not being able to bring Sophia back. But it still ate at him and it made a lot of sense to her now. Pieces fell together in her mind like a puzzle. Why he was always watching out for her and why he felt it was so important for her to defend herself. The reason they had grown so close. He felt like he owed her. She had always wondered before what drove him to be the one to take care of her. And now she knew. She used to think that if she was ever able to understand why, she would feel relief. But she didn't. She felt her heart break a little. Because the only thing that made them what they were, why he was always trying so hard to let her in, was guilt. She'd always secretly wanted it to be something else.

"Well, since we're doin' this now, there is a few things you outta know yourself." She took a deep breath and pressed on. Apparently this was a time for bedside confessions. "The only person blamin' you is you. You don't owe me anything. The best thing, other than my daughter, that has ever happened to me is you. You teachin' me how to be strong and stop lettin' the world beat me down. I owe you a lot for that."

She finally moved her hand from his face and then rolled over so her back was to him. After a while he did the same. Both wishing the other would have confessed something a little different, but neither one was bold enough to do it. Not yet.


	5. Chapter 5

** Okay, this chapter isn't my favorite but it was necessary. I may actually get a little hate for this one. Bear with me and it will be worth it. I hope ;) All the reviews have been amazing so thank you! **

Chapter Five

Carol woke up slowly. Her body ached and the cut on her stomach felt like it was on fire. She had almost forgotten where she was until she realized that she wasn't alone. In their sleep they had turned towards one another once more. He had one arm draped across her waist and she was using the other as a pillow. Her head was tucked under his chin and her thigh was draped across his hip. She tried to ease her leg away but he moved his leg at the same time and then rolled the rest of the way over with a groan so now he was laying half way on top of her. He mumbled something and then slid his hand down her thigh. She hated waking him but he was crushing her and she didn't want anyone to come up and see them like that.

She was about to say something when the conversation they had had the night before came crashing down on her. So she decided to be still for a few more minutes because today was the day she was going to stop. Stop encouraging him to keep feeling like he owed her something. She felt a lump form in her throat. But she swallowed it down. She didn't need him anymore and she had to cut him loose. That's what she kept saying to herself anyway. She reached up and pushed a strand of shaggy hair out of his face. His eyes flew open and he looked down at their intertwined legs, He smirked and then closed his eyes again. He hadn't moved his hand away. Instead he traced patterns on her skin with his fingertips which caused a slow burn to spread throughout her body.

Pull yourself together, Carol, she thought to herself. Now wasn't the time for feeling this way but her stupid body wouldn't listen to a word she said. It seemed like the slower his fingers moved the more fuel he threw on that fire.

"Okay, you two. There is way to much that needs to be discussed for you to lay in bed all day." Rick said from somewhere near the top of the stairs. She could hear the smile in his voice.

"Fuck off, Rick." Daryl called without even opening his eyes or stopping the patterns that his fingers were tracing. She imagined how they must look from where she knew Rick was standing. But it was like a bucket of cold water. Him watching them killed that intense need. Other than in her face that strange heat was gone. Thank God for small favors.

Rick moved further into the room. "You're brother keeps askin' for Carol." Rick said. All humor gone from his voice.

Now Daryl opened his eyes and raised his head. His fingers stilled. "What the fuck he askin' for her for? He's my problem. Not hers."

"It's alright. Just give me a minute, Rick." She tried to meet Rick's eyes without blushing but it wasn't working. Now she really wished she would have slept in her jeans.

Rick looked like he wanted to crack some jokes but Daryl was scowling at him so he just smiled instead.

"What the hell you starin' at?" Daryl grumbled.

Rick shrugged and then hurried down the stairs.

She moved to climb over him but he stopped her, putting them in another awkward position. She hoped Rick didn't come back up and catch her straddling him like that. And she hoped that Daryl didn't notice her breathing becoming faster. She stared down at him with wide eyes.

"You ain't gotta go to him just cause he wants you too." He grumbled.

She drew in a ragged breath. "I know. But I have to do what I can to make sure he gets to stay here. Unless you want to go ahead and leave with him?" She couldn't hide the sad note in her voice.

His brow furrowed as his hands slid up the outside of her thighs. She suppressed a shudder. She didn't want him to stop and yet she still wished he would. "You wanna leave with Merle?"

Why the hell did he keep touching her like that? It was making things much worse for her. "I didn't mean us. I meant you." She said slowly.

His hands stilled. "Why would you think I would wanna leave? Without you?"

She shrugged letting her hands smack down on his chest in frustration. She forgot that someone had cut him up pretty badly. He winced. "You don't have to stay here, Daryl. You don't have to take care of me anymore. I don't want you too."

She watched a series of emotions cross his face. Confusion, suspicion, anger and then confusion again. "What?"

"If you want to take your brother and go then you can. Don't keep doing things for me, okay. You had a life before you met us. You got your brother back now. You ain't gonna be mad at him forever." She didn't wait for him to respond. She stood up and pulled the bag of clothes over. She pulled out the first pair of jeans that she saw and put them on without looking at him. "Can I keep the shirt? For today at least?" She asked as she put her boots on.

"Sure." He said quietly.

She hurried down the stairs, making sure she kept her eyes off him. She didn't want to look at him. She just wanted to let him go. She didn't want to think about his guilt. She didn't want to think about how foolish she had been, thinking that their relationship meant more than it really did. For the first time the prison that she called home was actually starting to feel like a prison. Dark and desolate. She didn't want to go to her cell. She wanted out.

"It's about damn time." Merle complained as she entered her cell. He glanced up at her from where he sat on the bunk and then did a double take. "Hey, what's wrong with you?" He asked and then stood up.

"Nothin's wrong, Merle." She said quietly. "What'd you wanna talk to me about?"

He took a few steps closer and peered down at her. "Has somethin' happened I don't know about? Somebody die?"

She shook her head and then heard the cell door open. She didn't have to turn around to know who was there. "No. Why?"

Merle looked at Daryl suspiciously and then flicked his eyes back to her. "You sure?"

"Just tell me what you wanted me for, Merle. I got stuff to do today." She crossed her arms over her chest. Her voice sounded flat. She couldn't force any life back into it.

"I have an idea." He looked at Daryl once more. "I think we should take Woodbury."

Daryl snorted. "Are you outta your damn mind? We barely made it out of there alive. You wanna just march back in there?

"You barely made it out of there alive cause ya'll just went in there blind. You stormed the place like idiots. You didn't know how many people you were up against or anything. Me, I know everything there is to know about it. I was like the goddamn General there. You know, kinda like what you are in this little set up you got here." He looked at Carol again. "Except you get more perks here than I got back in Woodbury." He winked at her.

"No. That's a dumbass idea. It ain't gonna happen, Merle. Our people are safe here."

"Are they?" Merle asked, eyes moving back to Daryl. "Tell me, little brother. How many people you all lost, just since you got to this place? What the fuck happened to that old mans leg? I mean, goddamn, you all look half starved."

"We manage just fine. We lived on the road for almost a year. Compared to that this is good. Better'n we've had since we lost the farm. This is better than the farm. Secure. We're just fine here." He glared at his brother.

"No, you ain't. Looks to me like all ya'll are doin' is survivin'. And survivin' ain't livin'. But it wouldn't be like that if we got our hands on that town. You all want them kids growin' up here? In a prison? Or would you rather they grow up in a home? A place where they can go outside without the risk of getting' eaten? They're gonna grow up lurkin' around in these tunnels like rats." Merle was trying to paint them a pretty picture.

"So this is what you wanted her for? So you could try to talk her into agreein' with this shit?" Daryl shook his head. "You don't give a shit about our kids, Merle. Carl, Judith, Beth. Stop usin' them as pawns in whatever game you're playin'. Ain't nobody gonna fall for it."

Carol let them argue. The wheels in her head were turning though. Merle was right. If they could get that town then her and Daryl could both be a part of this group without her feeling like she was holding him back from anything. It was hard to separate yourself from someone when everyone was on top of each other. The prison was big but it wasn't secure everywhere. They were all stuck in one cell block. In a town she could have her own place. Avoid anyone she wanted. It sounded good. Really good. But also very very lonely. She cleared her throat.

"How could we take it? Didn't you say that there was about seventy five people there?" She asked.

"Give or take. But that's what I'm sayin'. They're just people. They ain't soldiers. I heard Johnson tellin' your friend James..."

"Goddamn it, Merle!" Daryl growled as he took a step towards him but Carol stepped in his way, blocking him from getting any closer to his brother.

"Stop it." She said in that dead voice. "If you two wanna fight then fight but do it in the yard. Not here." She was facing Daryl who met Merle's eyes from over her head. They both grumbled but Daryl backed off a few feet. She turned around to face Merle but she kept herself between them since, for some reason, Daryl was being the aggressor. "Go on Merle."

"Anyway, Johnson said that you all managed to kill off eight men. You killed James and Johnson, so that's ten already dead."

"That leaves seventeen men to pretty much run the whole town since we have Philip." There was a little more life in her voice as her wide eyes met Merle's from across the cell.

"That's my girl." Merle said with a widening grin.

"Carol!" Daryl growled from right behind her. She jumped at the sound of his voice.

"It ain't a bad idea, Daryl. We need to think about the kids. That place would be good for them. And we all wouldn't have to be stuffed in a cell block together. We could have our own houses. We wouldn't have to live like this anymore."

Daryl shook his head angrily. "You spend a few hours with his dumb ass and you act like you done caught the stupid from him. He don't give a shit about this group. He's gonna use you to get his way."

"Hey, you need to watch your tone, asshole. I'm sick and tired of all this attitude you been givin' me for no damn reason." Merle yelled.

"Would you two just shut up? Please? Daryl, if you don't like what he has to say then get out. Nobody's makin' you stay and listen. The only thing you're gonna do is argue with anything he has to say."

Daryl gaped at her. "You want me to get out?" He asked. His voice was hard.

She nodded and looked away.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" He asked.

"Nothin'. I just think this is worth hearin'. You don't so you can leave."

"We need to talk." He said, the anger clear in his voice this time.

She kept her eyes on the floor. "And I think we've done enough talkin', Daryl. I don't wanna talk anymore." She felt sick to her stomach. She fought the tears that were threatening to fill her eyes. Blinking them back furiously.

"Carol?" Merle asked after a few heavy moments. He sounded closer than he had been before. He tilted her chin up so he could look at her. "He's gone. What the hells goin' on with you two? I figured ya'll would've patched things up by now?"

She wasn't expecting him to look so concerned. He was Merle. And it was common knowledge that Merle didn't give a damn about anybody but Merle. "Ain't nothin' to patch up."

"Seems to me like there is. My little brother just looked like somebody shot his dog. You look about the same. I don't see any reason you all can't talk it out."

"I ain't talkin' to you about this, Merle. It don't concern you." She dropped her gaze when he dropped his hand from her chin.

"So, your people killed eight men." He said, changing the subject quickly. "How many of yours went down in that scuffle?"

"We lost Oscar. It's a shame too. He was a real good man." She said sadly. She had been so worked up over Daryl being left behind that she hadn't given the dead man much thought. She had been opposed to him and Axel joining them but she had been wrong. About Oscar anyway. He had proved himself to be a big asset to them. She had liked him a lot.

"How many came from here to save Glen and the farmer's daughter?" He asked.

"Maggie. Her name's Maggie. And four went to Woodbury that night. Rick, Daryl, Oscar and Michonne."

"I gotta say, that sounds damn near impossible. Four people took out eight men and only lost one in the process. You all are a bunch of tough fuckers, I'll give ya that.

"I'm sure they'll all be real interested that they got your stamp of approval. Now get on with it. If you wanna stay here we gotta build your case." She said dryly.

"They have supplies. More than ya'll could ever use. Guns and ammo. Shit, they even have a few tanks. The place is like a fuckin' armory. There's a whole storage building full. They got generators and enough fuel to keep the place lit up for years. They got basements stocked full of food. Fresh water. Hot showers. Real homes. You really don't understand what a gold mine that place is."

"That's all good but it isn't enough to save your ass as far as this group is concerned. We could take that town without you."

Merle rolled his eyes. "But I'm the perfect inside guy. I know their routines and I know their weaknesses. Those people need a leader. None of them can handle a place like that. Not like your cop buddy. They'd probably jump right on board with it. We might not even have to kill'em. And I'm the perfect inside guy. I'm an asset, Darlin'."

"What about the rest of them? We can't just go in there and start killin' off civilians. That ain't how we handle things around here." For some reason Dales concerned face flashed in her mind.

He shook his head. "They wouldn't be much of a problem. Like a herd of sheep. Women and kids mostly. They'd follow along with anything as long as they felt safe. They've all been sheltered."

Carol thought about it for a few long seconds and then finally nodded. "We'll have to run this by Rick. If they are that loaded with fire power we need to work fast." She wondered how the rest of the group would feel about working with Merle Dixon. "Just give me a few hours, okay? And try to be as docile as you can. Just don't make it any harder on me than it has to be."

"I'll try. This nice guy shit takes a lot out of me. You should feel good about yourself. I don't think I would be able to do it for just anybody." He smiled.

"Thanks, Merle. You know, you ain't so bad. But don't worry. I'll keep it to myself." She smiled back but she knew it didn't reach her eyes. She turned to leave but he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. She turned around.

"You know, I like givin' my brother a hard time. But he's the only family I got. He's a real prick sometimes. He gets that shit from me but give him a break, would ya. I ain't to sure what he did to make you treat him like that but I don't think I've ever seen that boy so crazy about anybody in my life. You need to remember that. And get over this thing."

His words hurt. She wished he was right. "I don't think you know him as well as you think you do, Merle. I know he's a good man. The best I've ever known, but your wrong about me and him. There just ain't nothin' there. I ain't sure if there ever was."

His eyes narrowed. "What are you talkin' about? Nothin' there? After what you did for him last night? Are you stupid or somethin'? Everything you told me was the truth you dumb woman. He'd choose you over anybody, even me. I don't like to admit it but that's just the facts. What the hells wrong with you?"

"He feels guilty. Before we got to the farm Sophia went missing. She was runnin' from Walkers and we couldn't find her. Daryl, he tried. Almost died tryin'. But in the end, it was just too late. And he didn't ever get over that. He was so sure he'd find her that when she ended up dead he blamed himself and that guilt ate at him. And that's why he did what he did for me. It wasn't cause he really wanted too. It was just cause he thought that teachin' me to fight and bein' my friend would make him feel less guilty. I don't need someone doin' anything for me out of pity."

He stared at her for a long time. She wanted to leave. But he didn't look like he was finished with her. She was right.

"You really believe that shit?" His eyes narrowed even further.

"Yeah, I do. He pretty much said it himself before we went to sleep last night."

"You're a real chicken shit, ain'tcha? You put up a good front. You can kick some ass and you can kill with the best of''em but deep down you're a cowered. Just a scared little girl. The same damn woman I met a year ago."

Carols blood started to boil. Just when she thought that Merle was someone she could grow to like he had to go and ruin it. She clenched her fists in anger. "Fuck you, Merle. I'll take that ugly prosthetic of yours and shove it straight up your redneck ass!" She yelled.

"You talk big, little girl. What'd I tell you about that, huh? You ain't hurtin my feelin's none. I like a woman with a dirty mouth."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" She asked angrily.

"What's a matter? You mad now?" He said in a mocking voice.

"I ain't gonna stand here and listen to your crap, Merle. You can rot in this cell for all I care." She turned to leave but he stopped her again. This time he used force. He jerked her backwards by the shoulder so hard that she stumbled into him. She spun around and threw a punch but he ducked easily and then pushed her down onto the mattress. He stood over her and shoved her down again when she tried to get up. He forced her to sit there, dodging everything she tried to throw at him.

"That's what I wanna see." He said as he stepped away from her and let her get up. "Not that whiny little coward. You're better than that and you're smarter than that."

"What the hell are you talkin' about?" She hissed.

"You stand there and tell me that you don't need nobody's pity. When all you're doin' is mopin' around feelin' sorry for your idiot self. Cause you know what's happenin', don'tcha? You can see it in his face and it scares the shit outta you. You don't want him? That's fine by me cause I really wouldn't mind takin' you for a spin myself and I know that big ol' buddy of yours feels the same way. Hell, I bet you even the good Sheriff would be down for a back of the buildin' fuck..."

She didn't let him finish. She shoved him in the chest as hard as she could but it didn't budge him much. He grabbed her hands and shoved her against the wall.

"Nah, you know better than to really believe that shit. You know guilt ain't what drives him. This is all on you. Don't you go off blamin' him. Not to me." He growled and then let her go. "Like I said. You got commitment issues or somethin' then that's just fine. You got your pick of men around here to play games with."

"Fuck you, Merle." She glared at him one last time before she left. Slamming the door and throwing him a cold look as she locked it. He just eyed her as he sat back down on the bunk.

She stormed off without another word. Merle Dixon. What the hell had she been thinking? She gave him the benefit of the doubt and look how he wanted to repay her. She growled as she entered the room they usually ate their meals in. Everyone was there and as she entered they all looked her way. Everyone but Daryl. She stopped when she spotted him. She turned on her heel then, knowing everyone was looking at her like she was crazy, and left the room. She put her back to the wall and slid down so she was sitting on the floor.

What was wrong with her? She thought about everything Merle had said. She shook her head. Was he right? Was she the one that was too afraid to let someone in. Ed was the only man she had ever been with. And at first everything had been great. He had been sweet and attentive and loving. And then when they had gotten married he had changed. Everything had changed. And the truth was, if she was going to be really honest with herself, she didn't think she deserved a man like Daryl.

She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her head on them. Surely she wasn't afraid the same thing would happen to her again. But now she wasn't sure. She felt like going right back to her cell and smashing Merle's face in with something. She was just fine until he had opened his big stupid mouth. But she knew that wasn't true. She wasn't just fine at all. She felt like she was being pulled in a million different direction. Her thoughts spinning uncontrollably. She didn't know if Merle was right. She didn't know if he wasn't. She didn't think it really mattered.

She heard someone approaching her but she kept her cheek pressed against her knees. Tyreese sat down next to her. He didn't sit too close. He gave her a worried smile. "Do you know I used to play pro football?" He asked in a low voice.

She felt her brows pull down in a frown as she shook her head back and forth.

"Yeah. It was pretty sweet. What did you do before all this?" He gestured around the dim corridor.

"I was a whole lot different than I am now." She whispered. She wasn't sure what he was doing here but she was glad for the company. And she was glad she had a solid thought to focus on. Her muddled mind welcomed the easy conversation. "I was a wife. A mom. Pretty boring compared to your life I suppose."

He nodded. "I guess." He glanced at her and then stretched his long legs out in front of him, crossing his feet at the ankles. "Did you ever do anything for fun?"

She raised her head and leaned back into the cold wall, smiling thinly. "I didn't do much of anything. Cooked and cleaned. Took care of my daughter. I wasn't allowed to do much else."

He nodded. "I was always big on camping. Getting close to nature, living off the land. That sort of thing." He laughed. "Lord, I wish I could have back all the months I spent outdoors. I should have been enjoying my luxuries."

"Carol laughed too. "Hind sight is twenty twenty my friend. I'd have killed my husband. Had a little bit of freedom when things were still normal."

"Do you think our lives will ever get better than this? That eventually the world will right itself again? Maybe all those things out there will just drop dead someday. I mean really dead, and then what survivors are left have to rebuild the whole world?"

Carol stared at him for moment before she answered. She had never thought about that. So much of their lives now was spent focused on nothing but survival. Looking ahead always seemed to bleak. To pointless. "I hope someday, even if the dead don't stop walking, that we can find something that resembles the old life. It isn't hopeless."

He nodded and then stood up, offering her his hand. "Well, until then how about we go get ourselves some of Beth's famous oatmeal."

She let him help her up and then they made their way back to the others. She was glad that he had came but she couldn't help but wonder why Daryl hadn't. Maybe he was really going to listen to her and back off. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. When she spotted him he wasn't looking up at her like she expected. He was focused on the bowl of food in front of him. Hershel sat on one side of him and then there was an empty chair on his other side. Glen sat in the seat next to the empty one. Everyone always saved her the seat next to Daryl. But this time she sat at the other end of the table on the opposite side. Rick was to her left and Tyreese took the spot to her right. Daryl glanced up once, not meeting her eyes and then quickly looked back down into his bowl. Everyone else noticed that she had broken tradition.

"So," Rick began after a few awkward moments. "We need to figure out what we're going to do about Merle."

"I've been thinkin' about that." Daryl said suddenly. All eyes went to him. "I think the best thing for everybody is for Merle and me to take off. Ain't one of you gonna feel safe with him here and I ain't leavin' him again. I'm to the point I don't like Merle much more than you all but he's still my brother. He's all I got." His eyes flicked to Carol once more and then looked away. "Problem solved."

There was the sound of several spoons hitting metal bowls as a few people actually dropped their silverware. No one said anything at first. Everyone, even Michonne and the newcomers, looked at him with wide eyes. And then just like that, as if on cue, everyone looked at Carol. She kept her expression blank as she dug into the flavorless mush in front of her. Her stomach churned painfully.

"Daryl, that's insane. You can't do that!" It was Maggie who finally spoke up. "I know what I said last night but I didn't mean it. I can deal with this. We all can. Don't leave because of him." She sounded like she would cry and when she looked towards Carol there were tears in her eyes. Glen put a hand on hers. "Carol, say somethin'." She pleaded, voice breaking.

"She already did." Daryl said as he stood up. "Ain't no need for her to say anything else." He walked away. Everyone watched him go and then looked at her again.

"What the hell was that?" Rick hissed in her ear. "This mornin'." He glanced up at the others. "I thought you two finally..." He didn't finish his sentence.

"Why the hell are you all starin' at me?" Carol snapped. "Like I'm that mans keeper?" She shoved her bowl away and got up herself but Tyreese grabbed her wrist to stop her. She jerked her hand out of his. "Don't." She hissed and then she stormed out of the room towards her cell. When she reached it Merle was standing there like he'd been waiting for her.

"Problem?" He asked with a smirk. She wanted to wipe that look off his face with her boot but she calmed herself.

"He wants to leave. You and him I mean." She said as she unlocked the door and sat down heavily on her bunk. Why the hell had she come to him with this?

"What?"

She looked up, eyes flashing angrily. "You were right. I'm an idiot." She stood back up and paced around the small space. "I'm a coward. Just a scared little girl and now he's leavin'. Without me."

"He wouldn't do that." Merle scoffed.

She caught his eye when she spun around to pace some more. "I told him too. This mornin'."

Merle groaned. "You are a dumb shit, ain'tcha?"

"Shut up." She snapped.

He reached out and stopped her with both hands on her shoulders. "Calm down. Go find him and clean up your mess." He said simply.

She looked up at him. "I can't. I've been actin' like an idiot. And you know as well as I do that when he gets somethin' in his head, it's hard to remove it with reason. He's a stubborn asshole."

Merle nodded. "Somethin' you two have in common. You really did fuck shit up, huh?" He laughed coldly.

"Please Merle. Tell me what I can do?" She felt the stupid tears fill her eyes but she couldn't do anything about them. She expected him to go on a tirade like he had earlier at her obvious show of weakness but he surprised her. He pulled her to him, his hand on the back of her head and the metal contraption patting her back awkwardly.

"You know what?" He said quietly as she leaned her forehead against his chest even though she felt as awkward with this weird affection as he obviously did. "I don't think I wanna have sex with you anymore. You are as stupid as I expected my own sister would be if I had ever had one. Stupid and stubborn as any Dixon I've ever met." His chest rumbled with a deep laugh. "Yep, you missed your chance, Little Dixon. Now it'd just feel dirty."

"Shut up." She said into his shirt but she smiled a little. She was pretty sure he was bipolar but right now he was doing what he could to comfort her. That went a long way as far as he was concerned.

"You two need a room with a door or somethin'?" A gruff voice said from the doorway. "I can come back in a few minutes. Rumor has it that's all Merle here needs."

Merle dropped his arm from around her and took a step back. Carol turned to face Daryl. His lips were turned up in a cruel smile. "I came here for him." He inclined his head towards his brother. "Don't worry, I wasn't followin' you around."

"I ain't goin' no where baby brother." Merle said calmly.

Daryl gripped the bars on the door. "Yes you are." He ground out between clenched teeth.

"You two are really startin' to piss me off." Merle said as he pushed Carol roughly towards the door. She obliged and slipped out. Merle pulled the door shut himself and sat down on the bunk, waving them away. "Go on. Fix this shit. You're both about the stupidest people I've met in my life. Don't either one of you come back here till you've at least screwed. I mean it. You both make me kinda sick with all your dramatic high school shit." He shook his head. "Here it is, the end of the goddamn world and all you two can do is make a mess out of a damn good thing. Go on now!" He waved them away again looking disgusted.

Carol didn't touch him. She knew better now, but she did look at him pleadingly. "You think we can talk somewhere, Daryl?" She asked.

"You feel like talkin' now?" He growled as he put his hands on his hips. She heard Merle make an annoyed sound.

She put her hands on her own hips and tried to think of a way to break the tension. He watched her warily. "Either that or we could go somewhere and screw so your brother will talk to us again." She said deadpan.

It was a struggle, she could see it, but he forced back a smile. Merle on the other hand brayed like a mule.

Glen stuck his head in the doorway, "Rick wants you two to take the fence. He's still worried about people coming." He said that if you and Merle plan on leaving soon then Carol can take someone else but he said he'd rather it be you, since you two have a routine down. He's taking one tower and Tyreese is taking the other."

Damn it Rick, Carol thought to herself. She really needed to talk to Daryl but when they took the fence they always separated to make sure it was secure and cover more ground faster.

"Tell him we'll be out there in a minute. Merle wont leave. Yet." He looked at her pointedly.

Glen just nodded and took off.

"You wanna make this quick or wait till later?" He asked her.

"It can wait. As long as you'll still be here." She muttered as they walked away. She noticed he kept his distance and when he handed her the rifle she always used, the same one he had taught her to shoot, he made sure he kept his hands away from hers. She hated to think about what must have went through his head when she started acting like a crazy person. And she hated to think that Merle was right. She was afraid. Daryl had put himself out there, offering her more than he ever had before and it had subconsciously scared the shit out of her.

When they made it outside he wordlessly went off to the right and she grudgingly trudged on to the gate. That was their routine. But it usually wasn't so tense. She glanced back over her shoulder just in time to find him turning away. It was a small blessing to know that he had been watching her.

There wasn't as many Walkers as usual today. The clouds were dark and heavy and the air was rich with the smell of impending rain. She was about to make her way to the left side when something caught her eye. There was movement in the trees. Not the shambling gate of the Walkers but someone was coming towards her, determined. She swung the gun around and took aim.

Whoever it was cleared the trees at a dead run. Carol narrowed her eyes as she watched the woman run towards her. "Open the gate!" The woman yelled.

"Stupid bitch." Carol growled as she watched Andrea running as fast as she could, dodging Walkers on her way. She dropped the gun and swung it back around so it was hanging once again across her back. She remembered, in clear detail, the look in Andrea's eyes when she had told her to leave Woodbury and to stay away. Remembered how she had smiled when she told Carol that her and Daryl were both dead. How she had referred to them as Carol's group. She was nothing to them anymore. As far as Carol was concerned she was more a threat than a friend.

"Carol, open the gate!" Andrea gasped as she came closer.

Carol turned on her heel and started walking away. Rick was coming towards her.

"Carol! Keys!" He yelled when he got closer. She held them out, dangling from one finger. He snatched them and gave her a strange look as he bolted past. Daryl came running from around the side of the guard tower.

She didn't look at him. She was pissed. How dare that bitch come here after what she said to her. The best thing Carol could do was keep her distance so she kept walking. But she was stopped by a pair of strong hands gripping her upper arms. She kept her head down and tried to sidestep him but it was no use. She finally looked up into Daryl's eyes. "I don't need to be out here right now." She said in a low voice.

"What the hell is Rick doin' lettin' her in?" He was looking behind her.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" She heard Andrea shriek.

She spun around, yanking herself from Daryl's grip but he quickly had her again by the wrists. Andrea was storming across the dry grass looking like a raging bull.

"You could have gotten me killed!" She shrieked again as Rick put a restraining hand on her shoulder. She tried to pull away but he kept his hand where it was.

"Easy, woman." Daryl whispered in her ear.

"You know what she did back at Woodbury. She was gonna let you die." Carol hissed. "Don't you easy woman me, Dixon."

Andrea made it about ten feet away from Carol before Rick forced her to stop. "Answer me! Are you insane?" Andrea's face was livid.

"What the hell are you doin' here?" Carol spat angrily. "Get your ass back to Woodbury and away from my people."

"You promised me that none of my people would get hurt if I let you get him out!" She tried once more to get closer but Rick stopped her.

The grip Daryl had on her wrists tightened. She could feel his breath close to her neck. Regardless of how mad she was she still acknowledged how good it felt to have him so close. "You only kept your mouth shut because you didn't think I would be able to do it. You wouldn't have given a shit if we had both been killed. You came all the way out here just to bitch me out for killing a couple of your sadistic friends? Your a real piece of work, you know that? Or are you here to visit that boyfriend of yours? The two of you can share a cell." She smiled coldly.

"You stupid bitch!" Andrea screamed and lunged but Rick had her around the waist. "You cut the fence to save him! We got overrun by Walkers!"

Tyreese showed up then, looking confused as he looked from Andrea and Rick to Carol and Daryl. "What the hell?" He muttered.

The others were filing out of the prison to see what all the commotion was about. They all stared at the spectacle in silence.

Now Carol tried to make a break for it so she could get to Andrea. She got about two feet before Daryl grabbed her the same way Rick had grabbed Andrea and he pulled her back by the waist. "You really think I'm gonna feel bad about that? Let'em all die. After what they did to Maggie and Glen? To Daryl?" Carol laughed bitterly. "You shoulda went down with them you back stabbin' power hungry whore!"

"Oh, Lord." Tyreese mumbled.

Andrea gaped at her. Momentarily speechless. She struggled against Rick but then she stopped. "You know, it's funny how hard you'll fight for some stupid man when you weren't even able to keep your own daughter alive. Maybe Sophia is better off where she is."

Carol felt Daryl's body go rigid at her back. Rick looked ready to hit Andrea herself and Tyreese looked completely disgusted.

"Rick." Daryl called over her head, "Let her go." She felt his lips next to her ear. "You best hit that bitch one good time for me, you hear?"

Rick and Daryl shared a knowing look and then at the same time they each let go of the angry women. Carol ripped the gun from her back and tossed it to Daryl.

It was painfully obvious that, even though Carol had broken the Dixon's out of Woodbury by herself, that Andrea wasn't expecting her to be much of a threat. In her own defense the last time Andrea had really seen Carol she had been the furthest thing from a threat you could get.

"Carol hit her like a ton of bricks, knocking Andrea to the ground instantly. She got in a few satisfying blows before Andrea was finally able to buck her off.

When Andrea rolled her over and pinned her with all her body weight Rick was about to step in and break it up but Daryl stopped him with a hand on his arm. "No," he said with a shake of his head, "Just watch." There was a bit of pride creeping into those two little words. Carol had spent the better part of a year learning to fight someone that was bigger and stronger than her. She had spent a lot of that time fighting her way out from under a relentless Daryl.

Andrea grinned triumphantly as she straddled Carol but her victory was short lived when she leaned her head down as she pinned Carol's shoulders to the ground.

"Uh oh." Daryl muttered as he made a pained face.

Carol shot out with the palm of her hand and jammed it into Andrea's chin causing her head to snap back painfully. There was a collective "Ooooooooh" from the three men standing around the two women.

Daryl shook his head, his face still pained. "I remember the first time she did that to me. It ain't fun, let me tell ya."

Sure enough Andrea slumped over onto her side, most likely suffering from a mild case of whiplash. Carol was on her again in an instant and the men flinched in unison as she brought her head down and slammed it into Andrea's nose.

"Daryl." Rick said quickly.

Daryl didn't waste any time lifting Carol off of the bleeding woman. Carol didn't struggle against him. She knew it was over and wasn't going to fight him to get back at Andrea.

Andrea raised up on her elbows and glared at Carol who now seemed completely calm as she leaned into Daryl's side.

Carol looked at her evenly. "You ever mention my daughter's name again and I swear to God, Daryl wont get to me fast enough. I will kill you. And none of my people will blame me."

Daryl didn't spare the other woman another glance. He took Carol by the hand and led her back towards the prison and past all the staring eyes of their group.

"That was the most awesome thing I've ever seen." Carl whispered to a wide eyed Beth.

He kept hold of her hand and walked her into the cell block and past the cells. They didn't stop until Merle called after them.

"The hell is goin' on now?" He called.

Carol was the one that stopped. "Andrea showed up. Said Woodbury got overrun."

"Then Carol here kicked her ass. It was pretty bad. I'm actually sorry you missed it." Daryl said with a small smile.

Merle grinned. "Little Dixon. I'll be damned." he reached through the bars and ruffled her hair.

She smacked his hand away and let Daryl lead her to wherever he was leading her too. At this point she didn't even care. She was trying to push thoughts of Sophia out of her mind. They were too painful. But it wasn't working. She had dug up that pain yesterday when she got to Woodbury and then Daryl had talked about it last night and then she talked to Tyreese and Merle about her today. And then Andrea. She felt like she needed to pour bleach in her head to burn out the memory of Andrea's smug face as she dug her nails through that open wound in Carol's heart.

They ended up in the same place they had last night after they got back. Hershel's doctoring room. It was empty except for Hershel's medical bag. It wasn't as full as they would like. They would need to go on a run soon.

"Figured you'd wanna clean those out. Maybe clean that cut on your stomach again too. Let it breath a while. I'm gonna go talk to Merle." He dropped her hand and started to leave the room but she quickly grabbed his hand again and pulled him back. "What?" he asked.

"Will you stay. Merle ain't goin' no where."

He shook his head. He was trying not to scowl at her but it wasn't working very well. "What do you want me to do?" He asked softly pulling his hand out of hers once more. "You're kinda sendin' me mixed signals here, Carol. Do you want me around? Or should I leave you alone? Leave the group? Or stay here with you while you clean yourself up? I'm tryin' to do what you want. But I'm startin' to think that you don't know anymore. I thought after..." He left the sentence hanging and shook his head.

"You thought after what?"

"I don't think it matters what I think anymore."

"I want you to stay here. I don't want you to leave the group." Her voice was barely a whisper.

He let out a breath and then shoved her gently until the backs of her knees hit the cot and she sat down. He grabbed the bag and got out the supplies he needed and went to work cleaning her bloodied knuckles. He shook his head. "Even though you been actin' like a weirdo all day, that was pretty bad ass. She got what was comin' to her." He said after the hand was clean. He was on his knees on the floor. He tugged on the hem of his shirt she was wearing until she stood up. "You wanna do this part?" he asked, fingers lingering on the bottom button.

"No." She said.

He sighed and shook his head. "When did you decide you wanted me around anyway?" He asked as he unbuttoned the shirt. "Thought you were pretty content with your new friend?"

She shrugged. "I guess when I realized that life around here would be really bad if you were gone. Do you want to leave?"

He pealed off the tape that was holding the gauze in place. "Looks good." He said as he eyed the wound. "The skins a little inflamed around it but it don't look like it's gonna get infected or anything. Still think that Hershel shoulda' been the one to do this."

She didn't miss the fact that he didn't answer her question but she let it go. For now. "But Hershel don't look as good down there. Might as well take what I can get." She said it in such a serious tone that he had to look up. She was smiling.

"You been hangin' out with Merle to much. He's turnin' you into a pervert." He grumbled. "Speakin' of which, you two looked pretty cozy in there earlier." He said as he started wiping at the cut again. This time he wasn't as gentle. She winced. "Maybe you should think twice about getting' hot and heavy with Merle. We ain't got enough antibiotics to cure whatever he'd end up givin' ya."

"That wasn't anything. I wouldn't sleep with Merle Dixon if someone paid me. You're an asshole for even sayin' that." She jerked back a little. He was definitely being more rough than he needed to be.

"Stay still." He grumbled.

"Then quit hurtin' me on purpose." She grumbled back.

He looked up. "Payback's a mother fucker I guess."

Her eyes went wide and she snatched the rag out of his hands. "I'll do it myself, jackass. Go talk to your brother." She was pissed. He pretty much admitted that he was hurting her on purpose.

He stood up. "Mixed signals, Carol." His lips twitched and then he turned and left the room. She stared after him and then gently cleaned up her own wound, shaking her head and cursing him under her breath. She couldn't say much though. She deserved it.

She tried to get more gauze to stay put while she taped it but it kept slipping. She didn't have enough hands. She sighed. "Daryl?" She called.

Seconds later he poked his head around the corner. He must have really been talking to Merle. "What?"

She held up the tape. "I can't do it."

He rolled his eyes and snatched the tape out of her hands. In just a few seconds she was rebandaged and they were standing there awkwardly. He was at least nice enough to button her shirt back up. "So, are you gonna stay or not?" She finally asked.

He met her eyes briefly. "Yeah. Merle refuses to go anywhere. He ain't too happy about what happened at Woodbury. He was sure we could take it." He paused and stared her in the eye for a long time before he spoke again. "But if we stay I ain't playin' no fucked up games with you Carol."

"I wasn't..." He covered her mouth with his hand.

"No, your gonna listen. I don't know what the fuck all this was about but no more. You got me?"

She nodded but she couldn't say anything cause his hand was still clamped firmly over her mouth.

"You can't go around fuckin' with peoples heads. Not mine anyway. I know I ain't perfect by a long shot. I give you hell all the time and you're quick to give it back. But today was just fucked up."

She nodded.

"So, you want me to stay?" He asked.

She nodded again.

"And shit is gonna go back to the way it has been?"

She hesitated and then nodded once again and he finally dropped his hand from her mouth.

"Well, I guess that's it then." He said as he turned to leave the room. She watched him go, feeling better than she had all day. But she hadn't been honest with him. Because things weren't going to be the same as they had been. It was time for a change. Her stomach fluttered nervously. Because she was putting a whole lot of faith in the words of one person. And that one person was Merle Dixon.


	6. Chapter 6

** Finally! Daryl's point of view! I had fun with this one but it was a hard one to write. I have Merle and Carol's relationship figured out in my head but it is such a complex thing that it's hard to write. There are some moments that are pretty heavy. It could be the smut I warned you about or it could just be extra suggestive. No spoilers, I just wanted to warn you. So, I hope you like this one. I LOVE it. And again, thanks for the great reviews! =)**

Chapter Six

Daryl paused outside of Carol's cell once again. Merle looked up, a slow smile spreading across his face. "We ain't leavin'." He said as Merle stood up and walked up to the barred door.

"I figured." Merle said simply as he smiled with a knowing look in his eye.

"And I meant it before. You keep the hell away from her, Merle. I don't know what you did but ever since you got here things have gone to shit between me and her."

"I'm locked up, dumb ass. If you want me away from her then tell her to quit comin' in here."

Daryl just walked away. He wasn't in the mood to deal with Merle. He was glad Merle was alive but him being here just made everything harder on everybody. They all had developed a good balance around here. Everyone new their place and everyone had a routine. You throw newcomers into the mix and stuff gets thrown off course. You throw Merle into the mix and the world turns completely upside down. And he was having a hard time trusting the man. He knew how Merle was. He seemed to be turning over a new leaf but Daryl wasn't buying it. Not until he saw it for himself. He shoved the door open just as thunder rumbled in the distance. The door thudded against something hard.

Tyreese had been about to open the door when Daryl had shoved it open. Daryl couldn't help but feel a smug satisfaction at getting to hit the other man with something. Even if it was just a door.

"I was just coming in to find Carol. Is she alright?" He asked before Daryl could storm off.

Daryl narrowed his eyes. "She's fine. What are ya, blind or somethin'? She won. Not a scratch on her." He said harshly.

Tyreese shook his head. "No I'm not blind. I'm not deaf either though and what that woman said about that little girl had to have stung. I just figured she'd want someone to talk to." He crossed his arms over his chest.

Damn it. Daryl hadn't forgotten what Andrea had said but he'd been so distracted by everything else that he hadn't even tried to talk to her about it. She must have been hurting over it but once again, he didn't try to do anything to make her feel better. He'd messed up again. Go figure. "She's fine." He snapped. "She ain't as breakable as everybody thinks. She don't need coddled every time she gets her damn feelin's hurt."

Tyreese narrowed his own eyes and Daryl clenched his teeth. "No, I suppose she's about the strongest woman I've ever met, that don't mean she wouldn't appreciate a friend. I don't think that's coddling her."

Why was shit like this so easy for everyone else? He wasn't good at the whole touchy feely thing. Well, not until recently. Why was it so easy for this big son of a bitch to jump right in and play the good guy? Be the friend? While Daryl floundered around like a dying fish? He was starting to think that maybe something was wrong with him. "No, I spose' not. But why are you so quick to be her friend? You don't even know us."

"I think I know enough about her to know that she'd probably appreciate an ear right about now. You got a problem with me and her talking?" Tyreese asked. A clear challenge in his voice now.

"Nope. But you might as well stop tryin'. She ain't gonna fall for your nice guy routine. She's smarter than that." Daryl smirked.

"Really? How far has that bad boy routine got you? From the way you two were at each others throats in the car last night, I don't think it's gotten you far." With that Tyreese swung the door open and stormed inside.

"Big dumb fucker." Daryl grumbled as he turned to walk away. He almost ran right over Carl and Beth. "What the hell you two grinnin at?" He grumbled.

"You got some competition Daryl." Carl laughed.

Daryl just snorted but Beth elbowed Carl in the ribs. "That ain't true." She said in that quiet voice of hers. "Can't nothin' mess up what Carol and Daryl have. Ain't that right, Daryl?" She looked at him with those big innocent eyes. She didn't say it embarrass him but that's what she accomplished. He shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

"You're talkin' about the guy that's talkin' about leavin' us all, Beth. Ain't that right? Even Carol. So don't tell me it ain't true." Carl said as his grin turned into a grimace.

"Ain't you all got some Barbies to go play with or somethin'? Daryl growled as he stormed past them.

He'd gotten about ten steps before someone else stopped him. Maggie was coming from the tower, he wasn't even sure who was on guard anymore. "We need to talk." Maggie said angrily.

"Ain't in the mood for talkin'." He grumbled as he stepped around her.

"How can you do this to her, Daryl?" Maggie fumed as she followed him to the fence.

"I don't know what you're talkin' about girl. Ain't you got a man to bother. Leave me alone."

"You do to know what I'm talkin' about. You shoulda seen her yesterday when you didn't come back with us. She was a mess. She hit Rick. She threatened to leave the group. She loves you. You would know that if you'd just stop bein' such a big jerk!"

He stopped in his tracks and smiled coldly. "Ya don't say? Cause, see, I wasn't here for that part. I was here for the part where she told me she didn't want me hoverin' around. And I was here for the part where she kicked me outta her cell so she could cozy up to my brother. I'm pretty sure that I was here for the part where she told me to leave. But I missed that part where she was actin' like she gave a damn. Don't talk to me about love, girl. Some people just ain't got it in'em. Ain't nobody got time for no shit like that anyway.

Maggie shook her head, her eyes wide. "I don't believe you. She'd never say anythin' like that."

He started walking again. "I'd have said the same thing a few days ago." He said over his shoulder.

Why the hell was everybody on his case? He hadn't done anything she hadn't told him to do. He'd listened to everybody else and now he felt like a damn idiot. He'd hear them talking about Carol and him. Knew that they all thought that things were more than they really were. And he was even willing to say to hell with it and let it happen. What difference would it make at this point? They had spent so much time coasting down the middle that they were bound to fall at some point. Either they would become more than they were or they would drift off in opposite directions. He didn't know anything about relationships. Never bothered with one in his life. What he did know, especially after last night, thinking he was going to have to watch her die, was that going on without her wasn't something he could ever do. For a long long time now all he wanted to do was be around her. Even on the farm. But now it was different. He didn't just want to be around her. He flat out wanted her. Which was freaked him out at first. He was to scared to do anything about it. He tried to ignore it all the time and he did a real good job of it. But after last night he didn't want to ignore it anymore. She had become so much a part of who he was now that without her, surviving seemed pointless.

He didn't like it and he wasn't proud of it but it was there. He had never depended on anyone in his life. Even when he was a boy. All he needed was himself. He knew who he was, knew he was capable of surviving on his own and was content that way. Then Merle's dumb ass had to go and disappear off that rooftop, leaving nothing but his hand and a bloody saw as evidence he'd ever been there to begin with, and messed everything up. It was easy to blame Merle but he knew deep down that this would have happened anyway. Whether Merle was there or not.

He let out a heavy breath and then kicked the fence a few times, feeling a little better. He wanted to leave. Go on a hunt or something. Killing always made him feel better. Even if it was just a few squirrels. "Everybody around here is a damn fool." He said quietly to himself.

He jumped when he felt a light touch at his back. He didn't have to turn around to know who it was. "The hell are you doin' out here?" He asked, still looking at the fence as he continued walking.

"I don't know." Carol said dryly. "Watchin' you kick that fences ass and talkin' to yourself. What'd it ever do to you anyway?"

She was walking beside him but he refused to look at her. He was still angry at her for the way she had been acting and angry at himself for letting someone else hold that much power over him. When she had sat down at the table next to Tyreese this morning he thought he was gonna puke in his oatmeal. And that pissed him off.

"You ignoring me again?" She asked. "Tyreese said you wanted to see me. So why ain't you sayin' anything?"

Now he did look at her. Then he looked towards the prison where Tyreese stood watching them. He gave Daryl a small wave. Daryl flipped him off.

"Daryl, what the hell?" Carol hissed as she saw Tyreese grin and turn around, going towards the prison once again.

He looked down and she was frowning at him, her eyebrows pulling together like they always did when he did something that got on her nerves. His fingers itched to reach over and smooth out the angry lines but he kept them at his sides. Where they belonged, apparently. "I don't like him." He muttered.

"Well, I do. Give him a chance. He's a great guy." She argued as she walked with him along the fence.

He gave her a sideways glance and then shook his head. "You're too trustin', woman. Not everybody wants to be your friend. You think he'd be that interested in you if you was an ugly woman?"

She snorted. It made him want to laugh every time she did that but he kept his eyes on the fence. "He's just nice."

"He tried to get you into bed last night." He rolled his eyes. "Your so blind sometimes."

"You actually did get me into bed, Dixon." She elbowed him and grinned.

"Yeah, and you see what good that did me." He grumbled. He cursed himself for saying it out loud. He hadn't meant too. That was happening to him a lot here lately.

She stopped and then grabbed his arm when he kept on walking. He was about to pull it out of her grip but when he saw the fearful look in her eyes he relaxed, letting her hand linger there. "Would it make you feel better if I told you that I'm only a woman and women are crazy and even though I'm workin' on it I'm bound to have a relapse?" She said it with a straight face but it was so close to what he had said to her last night that he couldn't suppress the smile he felt pulling at his lips.

She smiled in return and he shook his head. "You in a talkin' mood now?" He asked suspiciously.

"Not really but I suppose I have a few things that need to be said." She looked over at her hand that still rested on his arm and pulled it away quickly, like she hadn't realized it was still there.

"Well, what needs sayin'? I got shit to do so I can't stand here all day yackin' with you. There's other women here for that. And Axel."

She looked down and started picking at a frayed hole at the bottom of his shirt. And then pulled her hand back again, looking up nervously. "Ed was a real piece of shit, Daryl." She said warily.

He frowned. "No shit?" He asked sarcastically.

She shifted from foot to foot and started picking at the fray again. "Shut up and listen to me."

He watched her, not sure where she was going to go with this conversation but he kept quiet so she would go on. It took her a while. "Well, he wasn't always a piece of shit. He didn't become a piece of shit till later, ya know?"

"Okay. He don't get points for that though." He said, trying to lighten the mood and make her smile again. Some days that was what he looked most forward too. This time it didn't work. She looked like she was having a hard time saying what she wanted to say, which was odd for her since half the time she wouldn't shut up. "Well, spit it out, woman." he grumbled.

"Last night, when we were in bed," She blushed and continued on with her picking before going on. "Daryl?" She looked up at him then. A few raindrops landed on her forehead.

"Carol?"

She sighed and he couldn't resist. He reached out and wiped the raindrops away with his thumb. She smiled then. His stomach felt weird and he heard a voice that sounded suspiciously like Merle call him a pussy in his head. He mentally told Merle to fuck off and smiled back.

"Why have you spent so much time with me? We're together all the time. All winter and even now that we really don't have to be together all the time, we still are. Why?"

He frowned again as he felt a few raindrops hit the top of his head. "Cause my options are slim and you're the least annoying."

She looked away again. "Do you only try so hard with me because you feel guilty about Sophia?" She asked in a rush. "Cause if it is, I want you to stop. I don't want things to change but if you're only doing this out of pity then we have to stop it right now. Okay? Not because I want to but because I can't stand the thought of you carryin' that burden."

Daryl knew he wasn't the smartest man on the planet and he knew that he was the last person that knew the first thing about what went on in a woman's head but he knew her. Better than he had known anyone else in his whole life and it clicked then. He had been thinking all day that she was turning away from him because she truly didn't need him. Didn't want him. But that wasn't it. He thought about all he had said during their conversation from last night. And he knew now that she had misunderstood what he had tried to tell her. Which didn't surprise him because when it came to feelings and words he wasn't good with either and actually talking about what he was feeling was near impossible, a good example of that being now.

His mind was drawing a blank. He didn't know how to say what needed to be said. He was too afraid of messing up again. He shook his head. "You're a dumb ass, Carol." Good job Daryl. He cursed himself and watched her as she waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts. "Sorry, but you are." He rolled his eyes. There you go. That helped, he scolded himself.

She blinked as more rain started to fall but they stood right there. Neither one willing to move.

He took a deep breath. "At first I just wanted to try to teach you how to defend yourself because you got on my nerves. And you were right back then. You weren't no good to anybody. Except for cookin'. You're a real good cook. You could even make rats taste good over the winter." He rambled on and then caught himself. "But when you actually started learning." He grinned. "When it clicked in your head that you could do it, that kinda hooked me in. I ain't never seen someone light up like that about anything in my life. And every time you'd learn somethin' new it happened all over again." He wiped more rain from her face but it was coming down harder now. "It never had anything to do with what happened on the farm. I did it cause I wanted too. It made me feel like I was at least doin' somethin' to help somebody. And then it wasn't even about helpin' you. It turned into just wantin' to because it gave me an excuse to be around ya." God he felt stupid. Why'd he say that? "Then I started seeing me in you." Oh, God! You fuckin' moron! He yelled at himself. "Not, like that. Not me..." He shoved his hands in his pocket and looked away. "You started actin' more and more like me and I liked that. Stopped takin' shit off Rick and the rest of the group. Like me. That's what I meant. And then I wanted to be around you even more cause it was just fun." This was awful. Something so simple and he was screwing up again. He couldn't even have a conversation with her anymore. But when he looked at her again he stopped his inner scolding.

Something that he couldn't identify shifted in her eyes. He couldn't look away even though he wanted too cause his heart was pounding too fast and it was getting harder to resist the urge to touch her. She had said it herself, that she didn't want anything to change and if he let himself touch her again then he wasn't sure if he would be able to stop touching her and that, he knew, would definitely change things. So he took a step away and let his eyes trail down to her bruised neck and then he had to look past her, back towards the prison. And then he looked back at her when he remembered what she had said at first.

"What does any of this have to do with Ed?" He asked, feeling himself cool down at the mention of that man.

"I just..." She shook her head. "It doesn't matter anymore. We're getting soaked. The fence is fine so lets get inside." She turned around but he caught her around the waist and pulled her back. And then he froze there, his hand pressed flat against her stomach, her back pressed into his chest. He knew what that skin felt like under the wet fabric, knew how warm it would be. She turned her head slightly, waiting for... he didn't know what she was waiting for because he didn't know what the hell he was doing. But he had to do something because too much time was passing by, just standing like that with his body pressed against the length of hers.

"Just answer the question, Carol. What's he got to do with us?" His voice came out low and husky. When her wet hand slid against his he had to suppress a groan. What the fuck? She touched your hand, stupid, not your crotch. Calm the hell down. She reached back and took his other hand and wrapped his other arm around her too. He dropped his head to her shoulder, wanting to let her go but knowing he wasn't going to. He turned his head and his nose skimmed the side of her neck and he felt her body tremble a little.

"I'm afraid that there's something wrong with me." She whispered so low that he barely heard her. The rain was really coming down now but it wasn't enough for either one of them to move. His lips were so close to her throat that he could feel the heat there. "I'm afraid that somehow I brought that life on myself. And if I ain't careful I'm gonna do somethin' else to mess things up. With you."

"There ain't nothin' wrong with you." He said in a voice just as hushed as hers had been.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have acted like that. I don't want you to leave. Not without me." She whispered as she leaned into him more.

Daryl's heart was hammering so hard now he knew she could feel it, among other things he was sure she could feel since she was pressed up against him like that. This was what he was wanting to avoid earlier. But now it was unavoidable. Things were changing. Whether she wanted them to or not. He wasn't sure what he should do. They couldn't stand like that forever. Eventually one of them had to do something and he just wasn't sure what to do.

"I wouldn't go anywhere without you. You shoulda known that." He moved his mouth so it grazed her neck, it was wet and warm and he had the overwhelming urge to taste the rain that was sliding down her skin. He felt the muscles in her stomach tighten under his hand and then she let out a ragged breath. He took that as a good sign. Even though he didn't know what he was doing he was following his instincts and they were proving to be the right moves. He didn't really feel so out of his league anymore. He just had to not over think it. He knew her. Knew she was at least responding to his mouth so close to her skin so he went ahead and did what he wanted to do. If she didn't want him too she would have moved by now. And probably gave him a black eye in the process.

He pressed his lips to her neck lightly at first and then a little harder. He kissed her there and let his mouth trail up towards her earlobe. He grazed it lightly with his teeth. The rain tasted like her but also tasted a little like victory as he heard her gasp.

"Fuck." She breathed as she spun around so fast that his face was now pressed against the other side of her neck. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He found the bottom of her shirt and slipped his hands under it. His rough hands found the soft skin of her lower back still dry where she had been pressed up against him. He dipped his head down lower when she threaded her fingers through his hair. She pulled his head back and away from her neck. At first he thought he'd messed up and done something wrong. He could still taste her. He licked his lips and met her eyes. All doubt left his mind when he met that feverish gaze. Her eyes were wide, liquid, glazed. When his lips met hers he kissed her gently, almost unsure but then her lips parted, a low moan escaping her before she quickly cut it off and then her tongue coaxed his into a strange and slow dance.

He wasn't sure how they had ended up on the ground but there they were, him pressing her into the wet grass. The rain was pounding down on his back and somehow she had unbuttoned his shirt and was now running her hands over his chest, down his stomach. He groaned and moved his mouth away from hers and found her neck again. He bit down lightly on her skin and she wrapped her legs around his waist. When his mouth found hers again the kiss was different. Hungrier. More violent. He tugged at her bottom lip with his teeth causing her to grind against him, it was almost painful. He'd never wanted something so bad in his life and it didn't even matter that anybody coming out of the prison would see them. She must have felt the same need because her quick hands found the button to his jeans just as he was about to work on the top button of her shirt. She slid her hand down his pants. He felt her lips turn up in a smile and he moved his head back so he could look at her. Her eyebrows were raised.

"You've really been holdin' out on me, Dixon. I'm impressed." She said in a low voice.

He grinned and shook his head at her. "You never asked." He said his mouth found hers again.

"Daryl!" Someone shouted.

He raised his head and could just make out Glen standing by the entrance to the prison. He growled and then looked down. Her breathing ragged. She glanced around like she was just now realizing where they were. When her eyes met his again she pulled his face back down to hers and he instantly forgot about the man calling him.

He was on the fifth button of her shirt when he had to move so she could push his own shirt off his shoulders. He tossed it over to the side and found her hungry mouth once more. He was about to say screw it and just rip the stupid shirt off her.

"Carol!" Glen called. He sounded close. Really close. "Oh!" They heard him gasp and Daryl's head snapped up.

"Goddamn it, Glen! Why? Why is it always you fuckin' this up for me?"

"Them too are so damn stupid they've probably drowned in the... Oh. What do we have here?"

"Oh, no." Carol moaned as she covered her face with her hands. Merle stood over them grinning like the Cheshire cat. She unhooked her legs like that would somehow defuse the situation. Never mind that he was still laying between them.

"Oh, don't mind me. Continue on. I can give you two some pointers." Merle chuckled.

Glen cleared his throat and looked away. "I was just coming to tell you that Rick let Merle out." Glen said uncomfortably. "But I guess you know that now, so I'm gonna head back in."

"Whats takin' you all so damn... Oh. Ooops." Maggie stopped in her tracks and then covered her mouth, trying to hide a laugh, Rick trailing behind her.

Rick's view was blocked by Maggie so he didn't know what everyone was doing. "What the hell are you all lookin... Oh. Damn."

Daryl glared at all four of them and then they heard Tyreese. "Is something wrong? What are you... Oh. Well, damn it. Well played, Dixon."

"Jesus Christ! Would you all go away! What the hell is wrong with all of you?" Daryl reached for his shirt and slipped his arms into the sleeves. He thought Carol was crying, which was just perfect but when she moved her hands she was laughing. Hysterically. She wiped the rain from her face and pushed herself up onto her elbows. Still laughing.

"You know, little brother, you ain't suppose to get all hot and heavy with a woman in the mud. It ain't very romantic like. That ain't advice I should even have to give ya, dummy."

Carol glanced up as she buttoned up the five button's that Daryl had managed to get undone before everybody had decided to bust up the party. Daryl watched her instead of the others. He couldn't exactly get up yet and then he remembered the button to his pants was undone. He growled and shook his head. Of all the times in the world for everybody to go on a manhunt for them it had to be now. This was typical.

"They're gone." She said as she slid herself out from under him and sat Indian style in the rain. He glanced over and saw them all heading back towards the prison. He sat up on his knees and buttoned his pants. She glanced down and then, even through the rain, he could see her blush furiously. He shook his head and laughed as he pulled his shirt down as far as it would go. It wasn't helping.

"That was, uh." He muttered as he tried to think of something to say. "I guess I need to apologize."

Her eyes searched his face. She looked like she was on the verge of a panic attack. "What for?" She asked after a few long moments.

"For the mud, I guess. Apparently this wasn't the best spot for... you know." He shook his head. He was starting to feel all awkward, like he was some kind of fumbling high school kid. Which is exactly what he was when it came to this stuff. It was good to know he had a knack for it but now he just felt stupid since they got caught. He knew that's what everybody was talking about.

"Well, you'll be happy to know that the mud don't bother me." She grinned.

When he was finally able to stand up he pulled her up with him, not dropping her hand. She intertwined her fingers with his and they headed for the door. "Guess the cat's outta the bag. No need in hidin' anything now." He mumbled as they entered the prison.

"There wasn't nothin' to hide before." She observed as she tightened her grip when a huge clap of thunder shook the windows of the prison.

"True. Who'd of thought?" He mused as they made their way to the room they knew everyone would be gathered in.

"Everybody here." She said dryly and then laughed. When they walked through the doorway everyone looked up at them. They were all there. Thirteen pairs of eyes lingered on them in the doorway, Judith was asleep in Beth's arms.

"You guys wanna go ahead and get changed?" Rick said with a grin. "You look pretty wet."

"Especially you, there, Little Dixon." Merle added helpfully. Everyone looked taken aback at first, clearly not used to Merle's disgusting humor but then everyone busted out laughing as Carols face flamed.

"Oh, this is gonna be fantastic," She groaned as she dropped Daryl's hand and headed for the doorway leading to the cells.

"Jesus, Merle, you tactless bastard." Daryl grumbled as he followed her.

That caused them all to laugh again. Even Michonne which was a surprise to him. He didn't think that woman knew how to do anything but scowl. He took the stairs two at a time, just in time to see her pulling down an extremely tight t-shirt. Her back was too him and the jeans she had changed into were so low cut that there was about an inch of skin that the shirt couldn't cover right above the waistline. She turned and caught him staring at her, not that it really mattered now so he kept staring.

"Maggie hates me." She said grimly.

He shrugged. "She loves the hell outta me." At least that got a sarcastic smile out of her.

She went back to his bag and pulled out another sleeveless shirt. She held it up questioningly.

"You ain't gotta cover up. You look good. The world ended, show it off."

She threw down the shirt and crossed her arms over her chest. "Maybe I don't want to." She grumbled.

He shook his head and rummaged through the bag for something dry to wear. His clothes were sparse. "Looks like that's my last clean shirt anyways, so no. You ain't borrowin' it. You got more than me."

She picked up the shirt and tossed it to him, "I'll trade you," she grumbled as she pulled at the clinging fabric.

He peeled the wet shirt off and tossed it in the corner where hers lay. He went for his button and she turned her back, giving him some privacy. She heard him chuckle behind her. "You know, there really ain't no sense in actin' all shy now. Not ten minutes ago you had your hand shoved down my pants."

"Shut up." She shook her head and he could see the blush as it crept up the back of her neck. He laughed.

"Okay. I'll shut up."

When he was done they made their way back to the others. They refused to meet anyone's eye. "So, what the hell did you let Merle out for?" Daryl asked as he took a seat next to Rick. Carol sat down at his other side next to, ironically enough, Tyreese.

He offered her a smile and she returned it.

"Hey," Merle called from across the table. "Can't you just be thankful I'm a free man now?"

"You weren't a prisoner here Merle, you coulda left any time you wanted." Maggie said evenly.

"Aw, come on, sweetheart. Can't we just let by gones be by gones?" he smiled.

"Merle! Enough." Carol said angrily.

His eyes met hers and held them, a frown on his face. "Okay. We can get down to business."

"And what business is that?" Daryl asked.

"I convinced your friend here that we need to take that town." Merle said with a smirk.

"You've gotta be kiddin' me? Rick, you're gonna listen to Merle?" Daryl said, eying Rick angrily. He couldn't figure out why everyone was so damn quick to accept the man. He was more likely to kill them in their sleep than he was to actually offer his help. He looked over and watched as Merle watched Carol. When he finally looked back at Daryl he winked. Daryl groaned inwardly. Why did Merle have to be so damn... Well... Merle. He shook his head angrily.

"It's a good idea." Everyone looked over at the end of the table. Michonne was looking at Daryl. "We can do it. I've been watching you people and you can take that town if you want too. You're strong, even your kids. As much as I hate him, Merle's right. This place is pretty secure but that town really is a gold mine. There's enough of us to take it."

"But it's over run." Glen said. "If what Andrea says is true we would run out of ammo before we even made a dent."

Merle shook his head. "Not if we split up and a group was able to get in the same way we came out last night. Seal up the hole, get to the guns. It shouldn't be too hard. Ya'll cleared this place out. Do we know if the gate there is still closed?" He asked looking from face to face.

Everyone looked at one another, shaking their heads.

"Looks like we're gonna have to talk to Andrea about that." Michonne said.

"I don't think so." Daryl growled. He felt his face redden in anger and then he felt Carol's small hand on his thigh and he relaxed.

"Daryl, we're gonna have to let her in. She has no where else to go." Rick said.

Daryl heard the finality in his voice and clenched his teeth together. "You heard what that bitch said to her." Daryl couldn't believe what he was hearing but then when Rick glanced at Merle and then back to him he understood. Maggie and Glen were willing to accept Merle for Daryl's sake. But that was different. "There ain't nobody here that she has ties too. There ain't no reason to let the bitch stay."

"Daryl, we ain't murderers. And forcing her out there will be murder. Michonne is here and so is Tyreese and his group. What would have happened to us if Hershel woulda turned us all away because of Shane?" Rick asked.

"We woulda survived just like we did on the road." He argued but he knew it was pointless.

"But she's just one person." Michonne said quietly.

"Then go with her." Daryl snapped.

"Daryl," Carol mumbled and looked up at him with a smile. "We don't have a choice. I ain't turnin anyone away. Not even her."

He scowled at her and she gave his leg a gentle squeeze. "Fine. But she says one thing about that little girl again and I'm puttin' a bullet in her brain. And ain't nobody here gonna stop me."

"Okay," Rick nodded. "That's fair. But it's majority vote."

"I thought this wasn't a Democracy anymore, Rick?" Carol asked.

"It is now. I don't want to be responsible for everybody anymore. It ain't workin' for some people." He winked at Carol.

"Daryl? What's your vote?"

"I vote to throw the bitch to the Walkers." He grumbled. But he knew that he would be horribly outvoted. This group and their stupid morals. He glared at each one that gave the yes vote, even Carol. He was sure she would agree with him. After what Andrea had said he would have let her beat the dumb bitch to death. Sure, she would have felt bad about it later but that was par for the course. She'd have gotten over it.

The one person who voted no with him was Maggie. It took him a minute to remember why and then it clicked. Andrea had pretty much given Beth permission to kill herself on the farm. Left her up there to cut her wrists up so bad that Hershel had to stitch her back up. But in the end it was settled and Carl went off with the keys to let her out. Daryl hadn't known what they had done with her. He hadn't cared either.

"Now, what about Michonne?" Rick said gravely. "Daryl?"

"Yeah. She's bat shit crazy but she can handle a blade better than any of us, no offense Carol. She's an asset."

So it went with a unanimous yes vote.

Michonne simply nodded to the group but he could see it in her eyes that she was relieved. He thought about life on the road with Andrea being his only companion. She must have been stronger than him cause he'd have committed suicide. Or killed her. Whichever came first.

"Okay, we're about done with this part. On to Tyreese's group.

"Sure, why not. I won anyway." Daryl said with a grin.

"God, Daryl." Carol hissed. But Tyreese just laughed.

It was another unanimous yes for Tyreese. His group was all smiles.

"Now. What about Merle?" Rick said, looking nervous for the first time. "Daryl?" He gave Daryl a knowing look.

"Daryl met Merle's eyes from across the table. "No." He said clearly.

There was a heavy silence that fell over the room and then Merle flew out of his chair so fast that it crashed to the floor. He put his hands on the table and leaned closer to Daryl. "The fuck you mean, no? You're my brother for Christ sake! You'd vote yes for strangers and then wanna kick me out?" He nearly screamed, causing Judith to wake up and start to wail.

Daryl met his gaze unflinchingly. "You're a liability. I can't say you wouldn't hurt anyone in this group. Hell, you already have. Things ain't like they used to be. I got priorities now that don't involve cleanin' up your messes. I got kids to look after. I got a group to protect and I can't help but wonder if I'd ever be put in a spot where I would have to protect them from you. I just can't trust that you wouldn't hurt anybody here. Or worse."

"Daryl, you can't..." Carol began but Daryl cut her off.

"Those bruises around your throat, Carol. Where did they come from?" He asked in a flat voice. He heard her groan next to him. He knew he was pretty much sealing Merle's fate by voting no. But he wasn't gonna risk these people. They had all been through enough suffering.

"Woodbury." She said with a straight face.

Daryl nodded. "Yep. While you were fightin' Merle." He looked back up at Merle's now pale face. He could see it in his brother's eyes that he knew this was it. He would have to leave.

"What are you doin', Daryl?" Carol asked in a hushed voice.

"Protectin' my group. And you." He answered, eyes never leaving Merle's stricken face. His resolve almost faltered then. He'd expected Merle to be angry. Right now he just looked beaten. And alone.

"Come on baby brother. You don't do nothin' you're gonna regret. I've played by everybody's rules so far. And I'd never hurt her. Not for nothin'. Not again."

"If Merle goes then so do I." Carol said quickly. Merle frowned and looked at her.

"What the fuck are you talkin' about?" Daryl roared.

"You can't do this. You can't throw him out like that. He's your brother." She said, eyes trying to plead with him. Merle sat back down, looking more than stunned at these turn of events. "You know you don't want to do this, Daryl. You can't. He's... He's my friend."

"Carol, you don't know what you're talkin' about. I know him. And he ain't never had a friend in his whole life." He glared at her but her eyes didn't waver. What the hell just happened? He wracked his brain trying to figure out what the hell she could be thinking but nothing came to mind. Merle was dangerous. He knew it and so did the rest of the group. What the hell had gotten into her?

"I'll go." Merle said suddenly. He stood up and started to leave the room. Carol slammed her fist down on the table and stood up too, standing in front of him so she was blocking his path. Daryl watched with narrowed eyes. No one else moved. "Move over, Carol. This is for the best. I'll be fine." merle said with a sad smile.

"No." She said, her voice hard. She turned back to Daryl. "Please? Don't do this." She pleaded and he had to look away.

"Yes." Maggie stood up and went to Carol's side. "I want you to stay. You're mean and you say the most awful things and you beat the love of my life half to death but I vote yes. You can help us. I want that town and I want you here. If Carol trusts you then so do I."

Glen stood up then and glared towards Merle and the two women. "Maggie! What the hell? No. I vote no."

Hershel looked from Maggie and Carol back to Glen and Daryl. "No." He said quietly.

"Daddy." Maggie breathed.

"Yes." Carl said in a voice that sounded much older than he was. "We need that town. Merle ain't as bad as he was. So yes."

Beth looked torn as she locked eyes with Carl. But then she nodded. "Yes."

"No." Axel said. "If his own brother don't trust him then I don't either."

All eyes went to Rick. It was an even split. He was the tie breaker. He took a deep breath and looked at Daryl. "No. Majority vote. I'm sorry Merle. I just don't think you can be trusted."

Merle nodded. "That's fair. Least I got a trial." He smiled but it didn't reach is eyes.

"No." Carol growled and spun around to face the table. "I swear to God, you can't do this. This is murder. What the fuck is wrong with all of you?" The anger and desperation in her voice had them all stunned.

"Why the fuck do you want him here?" Daryl asked angrily. He was still trying to figure her out but she was mystery to him at the moment. He wasn't worried that she had some secret thing for Merle. He knew it wasn't like that. But it still pissed him off that she would defend someone that had grabbed her by the throat and talked to her like she was an animal. But then he remembered the way Merle looked when he had walked by her cell earlier in the day and saw him hugging her. Merle wasn't a hugger. He didn't look comfortable. Neither one of them had but he was trying to be there for her. Merle was becoming a real mystery to him. But he still didn't want to risk the group for him. Maggie really hit a nerve last night. She was right. He was their brother too.

Carol was looking at Daryl with wide fearful eyes. "Please. You can stop this." Merle gripped her by the shoulders and turned her to face him. Maggie stepped away.

"I'll be fine, Little Dixon. You just take care of my brother, okay? You two need each other. Your both too dumb to survive on your own."

"Merle, no." Carol croaked. Everyone was watching them in shock. None of them had ever seen this Merle. There was no malice in his face, none of his usual confident swagger as he studied her. It was simple affection for the woman. Nothing romantic or sexual. He placed his large hand on the side of her face. In the silence of the room everyone heard Carol's shuddering breath. Daryl watched, more fascinated than anything as Merle pulled her to him and patted her back with that same awkward movement as he had in her cell with the metal prosthetic. Carol threw her arms around his neck, no more awkwardness from her. They had known each other for less than twenty four hours. And somehow something had grown there. She had cracked that thick outer shell and revealed someone that none of them had ever known. And probably never would. There was now a very distinct difference in Carol's Merle and the Merle the rest of the world knew.

"Daryl?"

He turned his head and looked up at Maggie. Her eyes were large and pleading, overflowing. He heard a small sniffle and looked over to see Beth wiping her tears away. Even Axel was crying.

"Oh for fucks sake." Daryl grumbled. "Merle..."

Merle looked up at him and nodded. He pushed Carol away gently, touched her face one more time and then turned to leave. "Ya'll take care, now." He called over his shoulder.

Carol spun around then, face livid and hands shaking with anger. "I changed my mind." She spat.

"What?" Daryl asked as he glanced back at her.

"You bring that bitch in here and I'll rip her fuckin' throat out with my teethe. Every one of you should be ashamed of yourselves. We ain't killers huh, Rick? You can go straight to hell. This is my house too. You think it's okay to sentence Merle to die? Because that's what you did with every no vote. It's easy for ya cause you wont have to watch. Get that bitch out of this prison or that's one murder you'll see."

She stormed off in the direction of the doorway Merle disappeared through. Daryl ran after her.

"Carol? Wait a damn minute!" He called after her.

"Fuck you, Daryl." He heard her mutter.

Rick was following Daryl. "Carol! Merle!" He called.

Carol stopped and spun around and started marching towards them.

"Uh oh." Rick mumbled as he stopped. "Which one of us is gonna get it this time?" He asked.

Daryl braced himself as she shoved him. "You could have stopped this!" She hissed. "You just murdered your own brother."

"Carol, he can..." Rick didn't finish his sentence. He was too busy dodging her blows. "Carol damn it, just wait a second." He grunted as he held up his hands. She kicked him in the knee and he cried out in pain. Daryl went to grab her but she swung at him too.

"Goddamn it, Carol! Stop!" He yelled as he too tried to block her.

To Daryl's surprise she did stop. She was lifted a few inches off the ground by a strong arm around her waist. Merle was holding onto her but she was struggling to get away. He pulled her back until he hit the wall and then he dropped her to her feet. He kept an arm around her though.

"Easy there, girl. You're gonna hurt your damn self." He said in her ear.

She was glaring at Rick and Daryl.

"What I was about to say before you left, Merle, was that I changed my vote. If she trusts you then so do I." Daryl said as he helped Rick stand up straight.

"I agree. There ain't no way in hell I'm gonna be able to sleep in this place knowin' you're out to settle a score." Rick said to Carol as he winced and rubbed at his kneecap.

A commotion from the doorway had them all turning their heads. Glen appeared, followed by an angry Maggie who shoved him in the back. "I'm going!" He muttered as he headed their way. When he saw the four of them standing there he sighed in relief. "I want to change my vote. I gave it some thought," He glanced back at Maggie who's arms were crossed over her chest, her mouth set angrily as she glared at him, "and decided that Merle really would be an asset. Sorry guys."

Maggie marched over to stand next to Carol. "He ain't leavin', ya'll here me? He did what he did cause that was what he was ordered to do. I don't have to like it. But people change. So long as they got somethin' to change for. And I believe he's changed. Or he's at least tryin' and around here that should count for somethin'. We ain't killer's. Remember the last thing Dale said to us before he died. We gotta hang on to as much humanity as we can. This world is ugly enough and we don't need to be ugly with it."

Daryl and Rick shared a look with Glen and then nodded. Daryl was still watching them closely. Carol still looked like she was going to hang someone and Maggie looked almost as protective. He caught Merle's eye, expecting him to look smug but he didn't. He was staring at Carol too with a look just as confused as Daryl felt. When he finally looked at Daryl he held his eyes for a long time.

"What now?" Glen, of course, was the one that broke the intense moment.

Carol was finally calm enough for Merle to let go of her. She didn't meet Daryl's eyes and he was afraid that this was going to turn into another fight. God, they had never fought so much. And he couldn't even really be too mad for the way she had acted. She had been out of line, physically attacking them like that but that was who she was now. He thought of Merle's nickname for her and figured it was as fitting as any. She was worse than he'd been.

Merle nudged her towards him, "I think you owe somebody an apology. What kinda woman goes around attackin' grown men like that. Should be ashamed of yourself." He grinned over her head.

She finally looked up at Daryl. That hard look had dissolved into something else. She actually did look like she was ashamed of herself. Daryl raised an eyebrow at her. She glanced back at Merle and then came to stand in front of him. "Daryl," She said in a loud stage whisper, "I'm sorry I tried to kick your ass for tryin' to kill your brother. I was out of line." She winked and like that it was over. He threw an arm over her shoulder while Merle actually helped a limping Rick back into the room where the others were anxiously waiting.

"Now," Rick said, taking the seat he had vacated earlier. "Here comes the good stuff.

Andrea was there now. But so was Merle so Carol kept her mouth shut.

"What good stuff?" Andrea asked.

Daryl gave her a wide smile. "Now we make some plans."

She frowned and moved her head around as she spoke, which had always got on Daryl's nerves. "Plans for what?" She squinted.

"Plans to claim your town for ourselves." Daryl found Carol's hand under the table and gave it a squeeze. If this was what she wanted he was going to make damn sure this was what she was going to get.

Andrea's face paled as she gaped at all of them. "What about Philip?"

"We haven't decided on that yet." Rick said, his face grim.

"Decided on what?" She asked quietly.

"On exactly how we're gonna kill son of a bitch, of course." Maggie said with a frightening gleam in her eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

**There is quite a bit of dialogue between Merle and Carol throughout this chapter so beware. Merle has a way with words so don't get offended. Thanks again for all the reviews. You are all great. Enjoy!**

Chapter Seven

Merle and Carol were sent to the other cell block to retrieve Philip. No one could agree on ways to kill him but Carol had fun watching Andrea's face as they all came up with ideas. Carol got a little imaginative. Maybe too imaginative since Carl and Beth were sent from the room when she made her suggestions.

They were silent as they made their way through the tombs. This part of the building wasn't as secure as the their own cell block so they kept alert for signs of Walkers. After only running into a few Merle apparently figured it was time to talk about what happened. He stopped her in the middle of the hallway.

"What was that all about back there?" He asked quietly searching her face in the dim light.

She put her hands on her hips and looked down. "Would you rather have been sent out there to die?" She asked instead of answering his question.

He scoffed. "I wouldn't have. Only a..."

"Dixon can kill a Dixon." She cut him off. "I've heard that somewhere before."

"Well?" He gazed at her expectantly.

"I don't know, Merle." She leaned her back against the wall and crossed her feet at the ankles. It was true. She really didn't know why she reacted the way she did. Her and Merle had been up and down since they first saw each other the night before but when Daryl had thrown him to the wolves she had freaked out. The truth was, she really liked the man. He was honest. Brutally so and that was something that everybody needed. Someone who would tell'em like it is. "I just knew that I wasn't gonna let'em send you out there alone."

"You're a hot headed little thing, you know that?" He shook his head.

"That's what I hear." She eyed him coolly. "So are you. And your brother's no better."

His eyes lit up at the mention of his brother. "That reminds me. So you took my advice, did ya? You know, you could have talked to me without screwin' him. I was just messin' with ya'll when I said that."

She groaned. She knew that he would bring that up eventually. He was Merle after all and this was the kind of conversation he would be dying to have. Anything to make someone feel uncomfortable.

"Do we have to talk about this?" She asked as she shoved herself away from the wall and continued on.

He threw a heavy arm over her shoulder, which was something that she knew would have bothered anyone else but she just didn't care. "Of course we do, sister. Ain't that what friends are for? Tell all your dirty secrets to one another. Have pillow fights in our underpants. Daryl's right, you know. I ain't never been to keen on the idea of friends before so I'm a bit in the dark when it comes to the what to do's, ya know? You're the only person dumb enough to befriend my kind. I'm the big bad wolf."

"You're not the big bad wolf, Merle. You're a big stinkin' jackass." She bit her lip to hide her smile.

"So, how was it?" He asked, ignoring the barb. "Did he act like he knew what he was doin'?" he grinned.

"We didn't really do anything. Got busted, remember? I believe you were there." She side eyed him and slowed her pace to match his. He was stalling so she'd spill. "And what do you mean 'act'? He seemed to know exactly what he was doin'."

"He was always an awkward lil son of bitch, my little brother. Never seemed to interested in women, you know? For a while I was afraid he was gonna turn fag on me."

"Jesus, Merle." Carol shook her head but he ignored her.

"Me and him, we lived in this apartment above this sleazy ass bar back when he was right around seventeen or so. Anyway, I was always down there hookin' up with bar whores and what not. Bringin'em up to our place since it was there and it was cheaper than a Motel. I'd always try to get'em to put the moves on Daryl first, just to try to break the boy in." Merle laughed at the memory. "He'd get so damn mad. Many a nights he'd run'em off so I eventually just took'em straight on to my room and left him be."

"That was sweet of you, Merle. Big brother of the year award goes to you." She rolled her eyes.

"Anyway. There was this one night I was sittin' at this bar and this pretty little thing sits down. Right there on my lap. She was young. Maybe twenty two. And I got to thinkin', maybe he just wasn't into the broke down pieces that I usually brought him. So this girl was pretty wasted and I talk her into goin' up with me, you know." He laughed and then went on. "Well this time by hell, the boy was interested. They got to talkin' and I could see that he was probably gonna make his move on her. Then I decided to do her myself. Didn't take me five minutes to talk her into my bed. Daryl, he was pissed but he just shrugged it off like he always did when I pissed him off."

"That was mean, Merle." Carol said dryly. Poor Daryl.

"I ain't finished." He grunted. "So, me and her go at it. Wasn't as good as I thought it'd be but ass is ass, you know?"

"Oh yeah. Definitely." She couldn't help but laugh.

"Well, about a few days later I wake up and my dick felt like it was on fire. I mean, it was fuckin' awful. Had these sores poppin' up all..."

"Merle!" She grimaced.

"Anyways, that little bitch had given me somethin' bad. I couldn't even pronounce it it was so bad. Had to take all sorts of medication for it and the pain was somethin' terrible." He shook his head in disgust. "My poor dick looked like I'd done stuck it in a pot of boilin' oil. Felt like it too."

"Merle, are you just tryin' to be social or is there an actual point to this little story?" She said as they rounded another corner. There were a few Walkers coming at them that they had to kill so he took a break from his recollecting. Carol was less disgusted with the putrid corpses than she was with Merle's story.

He launched right back into it when the Walkers were down. "See, Daryl got all sorts of freaked out over that since he was gonna take a dip in it himself. He swore to me, after that medicine cleared me up, that pussy just wasn't worth the risk. I guess I shouldn't have showed him those blisters. But anyway, it wasn't a big deal since he never was able to talk to any females anyway. Wasn't a big sacrifice."

Carol stopped and looked at him. "So, what the hell are you tellin' me all this for, Merle? Not Merle Dixon's dick stories aren't entertaining." She rolled her eyes.

He grinned. "I'm tellin' you this cause, unless he found him some tail since I saw him last, that Daryl Dixon is a stone cold virgin. I suppose that's the reason he ain't put the moves to you sooner. Cause he ain't got no moves." Merle laughed.

Carol just gaped at him. "How do you know? He wasn't with you all the time." She said, unable to believe what Merle was telling her.

He shook his head. "He'd always been scared of it. Wasn't gonna risk catchin' somethin'. Hell I got enough for the both of us anyway. I just figured I would tell you. That away you can ease him into it instead of just havin' high expectations."

"You're a real jerk for tellin' me that, Merle. You know how embarrassed he'd be if he knew you told me that?"

He snorted. "Friends gossip, Carol. Even I know that." He grinned and they continued down the hall.

She thought back to what had happened earlier. He'd been in complete control. His hands had known exactly where to touch her. His lips. Her stomach tightened up and she started feeling too warm in the hallway. His tongue. His teeth. She cleared her throat loudly and Merle glanced over at her. She didn't need to think about this right now. But Merle had to be lying. She was sure of it.

"So, what about you?" He asked.

"What about me?"

"How many men you had, dummy." He looked at her like she was stupid.

"Merle, it's true, isn't it? You've never had a real friend in your life, have you?" She laughed when he scowled at her and so she decided to oblige. "I've never been with a man."

"Huh?" He asked.

She laughed and elbowed him. "No men. I've never been with a man."

He looked at her and frowned. "You was a married woman when we met you at the quarry."

"Married to Ed. Ed wasn't a man." She laughed. "I came closer to an actual orgasm makin' out with your brother in the grass than I ever did in all the years I was married to Eds dumb ass." She stopped again, eyes widening. She couldn't believe she had just said that.

Merle stared at her, clearly shocked at her boldness himself. He started laughing. She laughed with him. Daryl was right. Merle was a really bad influence on her. They trudged on down the hall, ready to get Philip and get this all over with. She wasn't looking forward to seeing him. She wasn't afraid of him but he really did give her the creeps. She wasn't worried though. If he said anything too creepy she was sure Merle would shut him up. She was glad he was with her. She couldn't help it, she really did like him. He was like the big brother she had always wanted. Well, he was a big asshole brother, but like a brother still.

They stopped about halfway down the cell block when they heard something further down. His arm came out, blocking her from walking any farther, much like he had done the night before when they were on their way to Philip's apartment.

"Walkers." She whispered.

He shook his head. "No. Just one Walker."

"Uh oh." She mumbled.

"Yep. They're gonna be pissed."

"Especially Maggie." Carol said as they moved towards the cell where the sounds were coming from.

Daryl kept glancing towards the doorway that Merle and Carol had went through not fifteen minutes ago. Allen and Ben had been sent to the towers while the rest of them waited for the Governor's mock trial. Everyone knew he was going to die but, in honor of Dale, they were going to go through the motions. Let him speak. After all, it was a man's life. He may as well be able to say his last words before someone put him down. Hopefully slowly, but he doubted it.

He wished they would hurry the hell up. He didn't like her going off with Merle alone. He didn't believe Merle would hurt her. He didn't know what was up with them but he knew Merle cared about Carol in his own way. But Daryl had known Merle for a lot longer than anyone else here did so he knew what the man was capable of. He was the meanest son of a bitch Daryl had ever seen. And he just sent Carol into the tombs with him. Not that she'd have listened to him if he had tried to get her to stay and send someone else. He sighed. Sometimes even he missed the old Carol. Especially when she was cussing him out or trying to kick his ass.

"She's fine, Daryl. Merle wont hurt her." Maggie said as she sat down next to him. She gave him a smile. "She's smart. She knows what she's doin'."

He snorted. "I know that. It ain't her I'm havin' a hard time figurin' out. Merle's just got me stumped."

Maggie looked surprised that he was actually talking to her. Hell, he was surprised himself. "Well, we all seen how he is with her. Carol has a way with people. People just seem to like her no matter who they are. Look at all she's done for us? Takin' care of all of us the way she does. Carl and Beth, they depend on her a lot. We all do."

He nodded. "That's true, I guess. But Merle?" Daryl shook his head.

"I had to listen while he beat the shit out of Glen. He held a gun up to my head and threatened to kill me if we didn't go with him to Woodbury. He's got himself a mean streak longer than mile. But I'll give him a chance."

"You ain't so bad, kid. Better'n me. Cause I was gonna make sure he wasn't gonna have a chance to hurt this group again." He sighed.

"So, about earlier? You know, outside?" She said with a smile.

He looked over at her and scowled. "I ain't gonna talk to you about that, now go on somewhere."

She grinned even wider. "That was really the first time anything's happened ain't it? And all this time I thought you two were..."

"Maggie, go away." He grumbled.

"That's not fair, Daryl. I'm like a little sister to you so spill." She looked like she was going to bounce out of her chair. "I know Carol's probly tellin' Merle everythin." She stuck her bottom lip out and looked very much like a pitiful child.

"She wouldn't do that. And nothin' even happened. You fucker's decided to come lookin' for us, remember?"

Her eyes lit up. "You were gonna do it right out there in the rain, weren't you?"

Daryl stood up and threw his arms in the air in exasperation. "Glen!" He yelled.

Glen appeared in the doorway, holding on to the frame and leaning in. "Yeah?" He asked.

"You need to tell your woman here to stop. She wont listen to me." Daryl grumbled.

"Stop what?" Glen asked with a smirk. "You know Maggie. She wont listen to me either."

"I was just askin' him about earlier. I didn't know that was the first time somethin' happened between them."

"It's not." Glen said and then he tried to back track but it was too late.

Maggie was out of her seat. "Oh my God! You have been sneakin' around!"

"Glen, what'd I tell you? You know I'm gonna kick your ass now, right?" Daryl said as he stormed over to the doorway Glen was still holding on to.

"But everybody knows now. What's the big deal?" Glen said right before he took off. They heard his feet pounding on the hard floor as he ran laughing towards their cell.

"I know where you sleep you little big mouth shithead!" Daryl yelled. He shook his head. "Not one day can go by in this place that one of you ain't givin' me any shit about somethin'."

"I don't." Beth said as she carried Judith into the room.

Daryl looked over at her and couldn't help but smile a little. "No, I suppose you and Ass Kicker is is just fine. It's the rest of'em I'd like to flog."

Beth handed the baby to Maggie and stepped back. "So, have we decided what to do with that man?" She asked.

Carl came in then. "We're shootin' him. Execution style. Dad said he ain't gonna let Carol or Maggie torture him. No matter how many times they beg or threaten him." He stood next to Beth.

Daryl was surprised to see that the boy was nearly as tall as her now. He groaned. It wouldn't be much longer now that them two would need a lot more supervision than they were getting now. Beth caught him looking at them and gave him a shy smile.

It wasn't long after that that everyone else started filing in. Tyreese glanced towards the doorway that they knew Merle and Carol would soon emerge from with the Governor. "Still not back?" he asked.

Daryl gave him a sideways glance then moved his eyes back to the door. "Still ain't your problem."

Tyreese crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at him. "Man, I asked her if she was single and she said that she was. I was interested. But she's yours. She was yours long before I showed up. A blind man can see that now, but that don't mean I'm gonna stop being her friend. You need to get used to it."

Daryl looked at him full on then, their bodies facing one another. "You got her to Woodbury alive. You made sure she was safe." He nodded. "So, sure. I can get used to you bein' her friend." His eyes moved to someone standing in the corner, eying them curiously. "I think if a woman is what you're lookin' for," He inclined his head towards the corner, "I think you got one that seems to be into you. Good luck with that shit." He turned his head back towards the door.

Tyreese turned his head towards the corner Daryl had been looking in. Michonne gave him a once over and then turned away with a scowl. "Oh lord." Tyreese muttered. "That one scares me a little bit."

Daryl couldn't help but laugh. "I hear ya, brother."

"Well," Merle said as he pulled Carol away from the cell. "What are we suppose to do now?"

Carol shrugged. "I'm not sure." She looked at Philip as he reached through the bars. Someone had brought him food and had used a real plate. Pieces of it still littered the floor. He'd used a piece of it to slice at his wrists. It hadn't been a quick death either. Some of the pieces were pointed but the edges were dull. He had to have taken the point and worked at it until he finally hit his vein. "What a damn mess." She shook her head.

"Wonder how long he's been like this?" Merle asked.

"No clue."

"You know, him and Andrea were quite the thing back at Woodbury. I bet if we'd given her a chance she'd have busted him out and killed every one of us." He said quietly.

She could see the wheels in his head turning. "Spit it out, Merle. What sort of torturous plan's brewin' in that big head of yours?"

He released the blade from his prosthetic and eyed her with a cold grin. "Did Michonne ever tell you that she had herself a couple of Walker pets?"

Carol made a face. "Pets?"

"Oh yeah. Had her a couple pets with their arms cut off and their jaws removed. Used them to cover up her scent on the road and to carry her stuff like a couple of pack mules."

"Holy shit." She breathed. "She's somethin' else."

"What'dya say, Little Dixon? You up for some fun?" He smirked.

"Oh, come on Merle. That's just...well. It's sick." Carol shook her head. "It's one thing to beat someone up when they do something to piss you off, but this? Rick and Daryl would have a fit."

"That they would I suppose. What was it exactly that she said to you that got you so pissed for anyhow?" He blew out a heavy sigh and was about to put the blade through the Walker's eye but Carol put a hand on his arm.

He looked down at her, his eyebrows raised. "This was all your idea, got it?" She asked.

His grin was so big it looked like his face would break. "That's my girl!"

"This is takin' way to long. Somethin' must have happened." Daryl said as he paced back and forth.

Rick looked up at him from his seat at the table. "We'd have heard shots if they were in trouble Daryl. If we run off lookin' for her she's just gonna get all pissed at us again."

"You want me to go look for them, dad?" Carl offered. Beth gave him a sharp look.

"No." Rick shook his head. "We'll give them five more minutes and then Daryl and I can go."

Daryl was about to start pacing again when Carol poked her head into the room. "You're gonna want to see this." She said.

Daryl and Tyreese looked at each other, relief obvious in both of there expressions. Rick followed the other two men down the corridor.

"What the hell have you and Merle done?" Daryl whispered in her ear as they hurried along.

She glanced at him and then picked up her pace. "I didn't do it. Merle did. I just helped a little is all."

They went around the corner and everyone stopped dead in their tracks. Everyone except for Carol. She kept walking until Daryl grabbed her and yanked her back. "What the fuck have you two done?" He growled.

"He did the killin' part all on his own." Merle said as he held on to the belt he had used as a leash around the Governor Walker's neck. It's jaw looked like it had been ripped off and so did it's arms. "He slit his wrist back in the cell. I swear, I can go get the arm if you want me to."

"What have you two done?" Someone said from behind them.

Daryl turned around and Andrea was standing there. She covered her mouth with her hand and made some kind of strange mewling sound. He looked back towards Merle and saw that Carol had went to his side. She was looking at Andrea coldly and then he knew what they were doing. It was their way of paying Andrea back, not just for what she had said to Carol this morning but for what she had done at Woodbury. He was pissed but he couldn't help but be a little impressed at the same time. He never knew that Carol could be so damn cold. But she was a lot of things now days.

"Well, I learned this from your friend Michonne. We just figured since he was already dead that we could make him safe for travel and bring him to you all. He can't hurt no body." The gleam in Merle's eye was unmistakable.

"You both really are crazy." Andrea cried.

Tyreese was just staring at Carol, Merle and the Walker. His mouth was slightly open. "Daryl?" He said so low that only Daryl could here.

"Yeah." He muttered back.

"I think that woman's right. This is some crazy shit. I just figured I would tell ya now, that you got balls of steal. You're a brave son of a bitch, cause it takes one hell of a man to handle a woman that come stomach some shit like this."

"Thanks a lot." Daryl said sarcastically.

"Holy shit."

Daryl turned again to see Maggie and Glen standing there, followed by all the others. Maggie looked stunned at first and then she laughed. He couldn't believe she was laughing. She took a few steps closer but Daryl pulled her back.

"You two killed him?" She asked. She didn't try to put up any kind of fight to get any closer so Daryl dropped her hand.

Carol shook her head. "He killed himself. We found him like this. Well," She smirked, "Not exactly like this." She gestured towards where his arms should have been. "Merle here did some alterations."

"What do you people plan on doing with him?" Andrea asked. She seemed to have calmed herself a little. "Keep him around? Maybe use him for practice for the kids? You are all sick. What happened to you Maggie? You weren't like this. I know exactly what happened to Carol," She shot Daryl an angry look, "But you?"

Daryl watched as Maggie clenched her fists. "You wanna know what happened to me?" She ground out as she approached Andrea. She shoved Andrea against the wall and leaned in close to her face. "You wanna know what happened to me?" She asked again, voice filled with rage. "Your disgustin' sack of shit boyfriend over there, he made me take off my clothes. And then he put his hands all over me right before he bent me over a table and threatened to rape me if I didn't tell him where the prison was so he could come here and kill my whole family." She shoved away from the wall as Glen came up behind her. "That's what happened to me."

Andrea looked around at all the people now staring at her. "I didn't know." She shook her head.

"Bullshit." Carol snapped as she went to Maggie's side and put an arm around the fuming girl. "I told you that last night and you still chose to stay."

Daryl stepped away from the rest of them. "Maggie, get your ass over here." He said as he approached Merle and the Walker.

Maggie gave Andrea one more hard look and then followed Daryl. He took his knife out and handed it to her. "Have at it, Darlin." He glanced up at Merle. "Drop the leash on that dog, brother."

Merle smiled and let go, stepping away. The thing lunged at Maggie but she was fast. She didn't rush it either. She hacked at the thing the same way Carol had James. Everyone watched in morbid fascination as Maggie did what she had to do to make herself feel a little better. If he had known that the man had done that to her he would have said to hell with the politics of it. He'd have tied the man up and given him to Maggie to do with what she wanted. Rick would have just had to dealt with it.

Almost everyone walked away. Glen and Tyreese stood with Daryl, Merle and Carol as they watched Maggie lay wast to the monster that had threatened to assault her.

"Did you two have fun?" Daryl asked casually.

Carol smiled. "Yes."

"Was all this really Merle's idea?"

She nodded.

"You have a lot of blood on your hands for a woman that didn't do much. You sure you and Merle didn't kill him yourselves?" Daryl asked.

She smiled. "I'll admit it. I helped with the arm yankin' but we didn't kill him. I promise."

"Should we stop her now?" Glen asked after a while.

"Maggie," Daryl called, "Let's wrap it up, girl. We got shit to do."

Maggie turned her head and nodded and then slammed the blade through the Walkers good eye.

Other than her hands she didn't have much blood on her anywhere else. Since he was a new Walker the blood was still bright. It really did look like she had murdered someone. "Thanks Daryl." She said and actually hugged him. He looked ready to bolt at first but then he hugged her back. She went from Daryl's arms straight to Glen's.

Carol was smiling at him when he looked over at her. "What?" He grumbled.

"That was about the sweetest thing I think I've ever seen." She said and then kissed him on the cheek.

He scoffed. "I ain't sweet." He grumbled.

She pulled him along behind the others with Merle trailing behind them. "Whatever you say, Dixon."

Merle caught up with them then, falling into step at Carol's other side. Daryl looked over and sighed. "Carol. I know what you said about me makin' calls for you. But this is it. You two ain't hangin' around each other alone anymore. I'm startin' to think that maybe you all feed off each others inner psycho or somethin' and that's what all this bondin' bullshit you all have been doin' is really about."

"But we ain't had a chance to really bond, little brother. We can't talk about you when you're right there. We just skimmed the surface today. There's lot's me for me and her to talk about.."

Daryl tightened his grip on her hand as he shot her a warning look. "What the hell is he talkin' about?"

"Shut up, Merle." Carol grumbled.

Merle laughed and then looked over at them. "Carol here opened up to me today. We had a good chat."

"Merle." Carol warned.

"Carol." Daryl grumbled. "What the hell did you all talk about?"

"Nothin'. She shot Merle a look and he did keep his mouth shut but that grin stayed right where it was until they got back to their cell block.

"Merle," Rick called, waving him over. "You think you'd be able to draw out a map of Woodbury? Michonne don't know as much about it as you do. We need to get a plan down. Figure out how we can get that place."

"Sure thing." Merle said giving Carol a wink as he walked away towards the tables.

"You really think it's going to be that easy?" Andrea asked from where she stood with Michonne against the wall. "Just you, going in there and taking that place from over hundred Walker's? Probably more than that."

"No one ever said anything about it bein' easy." Rick said without looking at her. "Ain't much easy about the world now days, Andrea."

"She's still easy." Daryl offered.

Andrea glared at him. "You don't shit about me, Daryl."

"I know if there's a no good son of a bitch of a man within' ten miles of you, you'll sniff'em out and screw'em." Daryl said. "Better watch out, Merle."

"Go to hell." She snapped as she stormed out of the room.

Michonne gave him a small smile and then went to stand over Merle's shoulder to watch him draw out the map.

"I sent Glen and Maggie up to the guard tower." Rick said as he approached them. "I figured they would need some time to talk. I was wantin' to go check everything out tonight. By mornin' we should have a plan. I'll lead one group and you lead the other. Andrea said that the gate was open. She said her and about ten men escaped that way but they got separated. She didn't know what ended up happening to them."

"If that gate was open then it's gonna be a mess. I had to bust through about forty Walkers just to get in yesterday." Carol said.

"You what?" Daryl choked.

"It wasn't hard, Daryl." She said in annoyance. "I managed. But Andrea said that the town got over run before the gate was open. That doesn't make any sense. The hole in that fence was small. I don't see how Walker's could have noticed it. And we barely saw any in the woods. On the way in or out." She frowned.

"Sounds like maybe they were led there." Daryl said frowning himself. "But who would do some shit like that?"

Rick and Carol just shook there heads as they went to the table where everyone else was seated.

"See," Merle began as he pointed to the paper with the pencil. "That storage building with all the good stuff in it is over here. Only about twenty yards from that hole that those geeks came through. What we can do is pick out the people that's good with their hands and have them go in through that hole. We can work with quieter weapons so as not to draw more back there. We wire that hole up and then fight our way through the geeks to the storage buildin'. Go in, get the guns and then get to the rooftops. Start pickin'em off from there."

"What about the gate? It's open. We go in there and start shootin' up the place it's just gonna cause'em all to keep comin'. That wouldn't work." Daryl said, leaning over his other shoulder and watching him draw. It was actually something Merle had always been pretty good at but he never told anybody. Apparently that was something else that was a pussy thing to do.

Carol studied the map along with the others. "That's why another team goes straight to the gate and pick them off from there. As long as they can climb that wall then they'd have time to close it. Then just wait there for whoever is on the roof with the big guns to clean house."

Merle and Daryl both looked at her. Merle smirked. "Good thinkin'."

"Then what? After we kill the Walkers?" Michonne asked.

Daryl looked at Rick who was staring down at the town that was slowly unfolding under Merle's lead strokes. "Then we look for survivors."

"And if we find some?" Axel asked. "I know that ya'll wasn't too keen on the idea of sharin' a space with Oscar and me. What happens to those people? Do we kill'em?"

Rick shook his head. "We don't kill them. Merle says a lot of people in town were just regular people. No one goes in lookin' for trouble but keep your guard up. And we weren't to keen on sharin' space with prisoners, Axel. There is a difference."

"So when do we pick teams?" Carl asked excitedly.

"You get to lead the stay here group son." Rick said.

"Dad, that's bullshit." Carl ground out.

"Carl," Beth gave him a look and he crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair, but he didn't say anything else at all.

Rick eyed the two of them for a second frowning and then glanced at Daryl. "Carl, Beth, Hershel, Axel, Ben and Andrea need to stay here. Axel and Andrea can take the tower. Carl, I need you to keep your sister safe, you hear me? No arguments, no fits. Kid stuff is over, son. When I need you to do a job then you need to do it. If we're both out there and somethin' happens then what about Judith?"

"Okay. I understand." He muttered. Sending Beth a sideways glance.

She smiled.

"Oh, Lord." Rick mumbled under his breath. Daryl shook his head, feeling the same way.

"I'm good with a knife. I can go with the group that goes through the hole." Tyreese volunteered.

Daryl nodded. "Okay, I'll lead that group. Me, Carol, Merle, Michonne and Tyreese."

"Okay, that leaves me, Glen, Maggie, Allen and Sasha for the gate. We just need to climb on the wall and take out as many as we can so we can clear that gate and get it shut. Are you sure that town is secure?" Rick asked looking up at Michonne.

"From Walkers, yeah." She nodded. "But anybody can get in. That's one of the reasons they kept people on that wall. But he never really did much for the fence. Not like you all do here. If we take the town we need people on that fence, patrolling all the time. Take shifts or something. Especially if Andrea's friends are still out there. They are gonna want that town back and they ain't good guys, no matter what she tells you."

"I don't really like leavin' her here either. I don't think we can trust her. Especially after Merle and Carol's little stunt in the tombs." Daryl said as he glanced from face to face.

"I agree." Carl said. "I think she needs to be locked up while you guys are gone. She ain't one of us."

Rick looked to Daryl who shook his head. "You already know how I feel about her, Rick. But if we're already havin' problems trustin' her I don't see how this is gonna work. Especially if we take that town and we're worried about her friends comin' back. We wont be able to put her on the wall and we wont be able to put her on patrol. We all gotta pull our weight around here, and we all do. Beth and Carl are just as crucial to this group survivin' as you and me are. We all contribute. What the fuck we gonna do, put a guard on her? It's the whole Randal situation all over again. Cept I think I liked Randall better."

"So what?" Michonne asked, looking from Daryl to Rick. "We just kill her? I can't be a part of that. That's murder. Just like Carol said. If we gotta give Merle a chance then we gotta give her one too. I had Merle's bullet in my leg cause he was trying to kill me. Andrea's made her mistakes but she ain't a murderer."

No one said anything for a long time. No one really knew what to say. Daryl could tell that Carol was thinking hard about what to do. "This ain't on your head, woman." He whispered in her ear.

She turned her head and gave him a small smile. "This is on all our heads." She leaned into his side and he slid his arm around her waist.

Finally Rick spoke up. "We lock her up tonight. We can put her in Carol's old cell."

"Hey, that's still my cell." Carol said with a frown. "Merle can stay in it cause I like Merle. Give Andrea her boyfriends cell. He's done with it." She crossed her arms.

Merle looked up from his work and laughed but everyone else just stared at her. Michonne shook her head. She can bunk with me. I lived with her all year so it's no big deal. You can either trust me to watch her or you can lock us both up.

Rick sighed. "Thank you, Michonne. Now, I guess after this is over we have some things we all need to think about."

"Who all goes out there tonight to scout?" Daryl asked.

"I figures me and you, Merle and Tyreese." Rick said without looking up from the map Merle was still drawing. He was adding details to the map that weren't very important for what the map was going to be used for but it was still fascinating how fast his pencil moved over the paper, creating actual art out of it.

"No." Carol said firmly.

Rick glanced up. "Carol, all we're doin' is ridin' out to scope it out. We probably wont even get out of the car."

"No." She repeated.

"It's only gonna take us..." Rick began but he was interrupted.

"She said no." Daryl said. "Either I stay here with her or she goes with us. You pick."

Rick sighed. "Alright. You're in Carol. But I do have to ask you to do one thing for me." He came around the table and took her hand, pulling her away from Daryl. He placed his hands gently on her shoulders and stared her in the eye. His expression was intense.

"What is it, Rick?" Carol asked worriedly. She touched the side of his face.

"Please, Carol. For the love of God, please go cook something. We haven't eaten real food in days."

She pursed her lips and smacked him with the same hand that had been lying against his cheek. "You're an ass Rick Grimes." She laughed.

He pressed his lips lightly to her forehead and then turned her around, shoving her towards the actual kitchen. She shook her head at Daryl and laughed as he glared at Rick. Rick held up his hands in a defensive gesture and then the whole room cracked up. Even Daryl and Merle.

He slipped out of the room when everyone else was busy talking about what it was going to be like if they were really able to take over Woodbury. Everyone was excited and in good spirits. Even Michonne and Tyreese were standing with Merle talking which was weird to Daryl since Merle was the most racist person he'd ever met. Maybe everything was going to work out okay for them this time. Maybe they really could take the town and have some sort of normalcy in their life. If anyone deserved it was them.

Carol had her back to him as she opened cans of mixed vegetables that were scored during a supply run. He was worried about the food supply running low with seven more mouths to feed. He watched her for a long time, mixing this and that. He couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen with them next. She seemed to be okay with what had happened in the yard, more than okay with it actually, while it was happening. But he didn't know if she had changed her mind any since they had spent time apart today. It was hard telling what Merle had said to her in the tombs. And he doubted either of them would tell him even if he asked.

He worried too much. He knew that. And he wasn't really used to it either since before the end of the world he only worried about himself. Now he had all kinds of things to worry about. The group. The baby. And Carol. Always Carol. He watched her move around the kitchen, apparently too distracted by all her cooking to notice him standing there in the doorway. He really did need to thank Maggie for those clothes.

Thinking about her clothes made him once again think about earlier. And that made him think about later. And that made him nervous as hell. But then he reminded himself that he had always been afraid to kiss her and that had worked out better than okay. He ran his tongue quickly along his bottom lip but the taste of the rain and her skin was gone.

"Where you at, Dixon? It ain't easy catchin' you off guard." She said from right in front of him.

He hadn't even noticed her coming towards him. "Thinkin'." He said as he watched her.

"About?" She raised one eyebrow.

He shrugged. "You need some help?" He asked instead of answering her question. He didn't want her thinking he was some kind of sex crazed pervert.

Now both eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Cookin'? You?"

"I cooked for myself from the time I was a kid up until I met you, woman. I know a thing or two."

"Didn't your momma cook for you when you were a boy?" She asked as she walked off to stir something in a huge pot.

"Not really." He shrugged.

"Merle didn't cook?" She laughed at herself for even asking that question.

"He learned to cook meth one time. Didn't turn out to good. I stayed away from the house and slept in the garage of some empty house till he got over that faze. I thought he'd blow the house up." He leaned against the counter.

"How old were you?" She asked when she turned back around.

He shrugged. "Ten maybe. Can't remember."

"Where was your dad?" She asked when she turned around. She looked angry which made him laugh.

"Jail." He said with a smile. Talking about that kind of stuff bothered him before. It didn't anymore. He wondered idly when that had changed.

She came to him then and wrapped her arms around his waist without hesitating. He took that as a good sign. He looked down at her frowning face. "I outta go kick Merle in the balls again." she said as her eyes searched his face. "How did you turn out so good? Growin' up like that?"

He shrugged and hooked his thumbs into her belt loops. "I didn't. You remember how I was. I was a real ass most of the time. Sometimes I'd try to be decent, to you, back on the farm but I'd always end up bein' a dick again."

"Well no wonder." She grumbled.

"What were you and Merle talkin' about before you turned the Governor into a walkin' sculpture?" He asked suddenly.

"Merle's penis mostly." She said honestly.

He couldn't help but laugh at the face she made. "What?"

"Merle has to work on his social skills. He told me about his penis. About some blisters and some medication. The man really, truly does not know how to have a normal conversation. Was he born that way?" She asked.

By the look on her face he could tell she wasn't lying which made him laugh even harder. He just didn't get it. Him and Merle were brothers by blood. Born from the same parents, grew up in the same house, had the exact same background. But they were more different than two people could be.

"Merle's just Merle." He said finally. "But he's tryin' harder than I ever thought he would. I was worried about him stayin' here."

"I know. I'm sorry for, um, attackin' you and Rick. I think I have anger issues."

He pulled her closer and put his forehead to hers. "You think?"

She nodded, causing his head to move with hers. "I do."

He was surprised when she kissed him. But he wasn't so surprised that he didn't kiss her back. He was suddenly unaware of anything but her mouth on his. He was so stupid for waiting so long to do this. Cause now he couldn't think of anything he'd rather be doing. But all to soon she pulled away. So he pulled her back. Her arms went around his neck and he pulled her tighter against him then he said screw it and lifted her off the ground like that day he had pinned her against the guard tower. She didn't feel like she weighed anything. Without breaking the kiss he turned around and sat her down on the counter. They lost track of time, forgetting what they were suppose to be doing.

His hands eventually moved without him telling them too, sliding under her shirt and then up. She laughed against his lips and pushed his hands back down before pulling her head back. "Damn it, I'm gonna burn the food." She said as she remembered what they were suppose to be doing.

"No your not." Carl said from behind them.

Daryl backed away from her and spun around. "What the hell are you doin' boy!" He said in a rush. The kid was leaning with his elbows propped up on the opposite side of the stainless steal center island. His chin resting in his hands.

"Takin' notes. You got skills, Daryl." Carl grinned.

Beth was standing behind Carl, stirring something in the steaming pot. She turned around and smiled at him.

"You can't just come in here spyin' on people. What the hell's gotten into you two?" Daryl fumed. He heard Carol jump down from the counter behind him.

"This is a kitchen. We weren't sneakin' around. We've been in here talkin' for about five minutes now. We just thought you two were ignorin' us."

Beth turned again. "It's true, Daryl. We ain't been quiet at all."

Daryl groaned. Carol went to the stove and took the ladle from Beth. "Thanks, Beth." She muttered. "You and Carl get the bowls and spoons and take them to the table. Tell the others we'll be right there with the soup."

"And make sure that's all you tell'em you little shits!" Daryl called as they left the room. He could hear them laughing in the hallway. He turned to Carol who was laughing herself. "Can you believe those two? Jesus, I'm really startin' to understand why everybody wants their own damn house in Woodbury!"

"It's not their fault, Daryl." She grinned. "He was right. It's a kitchen. It isn't like they busted into our bedroom or somethin'."

He snorted. "Like it even matters! And it ain't like these people can just walk up on somebody doin' somethin' and then leave'em be. Nope. What do they do? They stand their and stare at you like a bunch of perverts! Every damn one of them!" He fumed while she laughed. "What's so damn funny?" He asked.

She grabbed the handles of the pot and sat it down in front of him. "You're cute when you're mad."

He picked up the heavy pot and followed her out the door. "I ain't cute." He grumbled.


	8. Chapter 8

**This is a bit shorter than most of my other chapters. It has a little less dialogue and a little more insight. As always, thanks so much for all the reviews! Enjoy! =)**

Chapter Eight

Sometimes things happen that you never expect. And sometimes the things you expect never happen at all. That isn't some philosophical idea. That is simply the way of the world. Carol sighed to herself as she sat, once again, between Merle and Daryl in the back seat of the car. The mood was different than it had been last night. There was excitement in the air. The prison had been their sanctuary. A place they could breath. She had grown to think of it as home, the people living there as her family. But now they were preparing to move on.

It was dark out now and still raining. They had left the rest of the group back at the prison while they made an attempt to try to scout out the condition of Woodbury. If they had an idea of how many Walkers they were dealing with then they could better prepare themselves.

"This looks like the start of a bad joke." Merle said as he stared out at the dark landscape flashing by.

Rick glanced up in the rear view mirror. "How so?"

"Look around. A sheriff, a football player, two rednecks and a lady get in a car together." He snorted, "The possibilities are endless with that one."

Everyone laughed quietly.

"I have a feelin' the lady would end up bein' the butt of that joke." Carol muttered, causing them to laugh again.

Merle patted her leg affectionately and smiled. "You know it."

As the car grew quiet once more Carol found herself thinking over the days strange events. She had woken up thinking that life as she knew it was over. She had felt like Daryl was a man in a cage and she had to be the one to open the door and let him out. She knew how wrong she had been. Like she had told Tyreese earlier, hind sight really was twenty twenty. She had treated Daryl awful. Making him feel like he was disposable to her. He had referred to her momentary lapse of sanity as her playing games with him. And that is exactly what it had looked like.

He had always seemed so unattainable at first. Like a machine. Someone that was content and adaptable to anything the world threw at them. But that wasn't true at all. It may have been at one time but not anymore. Over the last several months she had seen those hard layers peel back, little by little, to reveal the person she knew now. He had taught her to build up walls but at the same time he was unknowingly letting her tear his down. She was always so focused on her own change that she barely paid attention to his. And some time, during this transformation, he became very attainable. It was something she still had a hard time believing. Like this afternoons events had been a figment of her imagination. Too good to be real.

His was the change that was so unexpected. Her own had been unavoidable. She had been too vulnerable to this world back then. She didn't feel that way anymore. She was much more afraid of Daryl Dixon than she was of the walking dead. The dead could bring her death. But Daryl could make her wish for it. And it scared her. And she hated thinking that way. Hated feeling like he held so much over her head. It made her feel just as powerless as she had been under Ed's cruel hand. But he was no Ed. And she knew he'd never hurt her on purpose. She feared his rejection. She feared that she wasn't good enough for him. She feared that he'd wake up one day and realize that. And that fear made her feel as stupid as Merle always implied she was. Maybe she would talk to Merle about it later.

As if he read her mind he whipped his head around and eyed her suspiciously. "Stop frownin'. He grumbled. Giving her knee a hard squeeze.

Daryl was looking out the window now and she could see his reflection. He had a smirk on his face.

"I wasn't frownin'." She grumbled. She quickly let her face relax, realizing that she really had been frowning. "How did you know I was frownin' anyway?"

Daryl turned his head to look at her. "The same way I knew you was frownin'."

She arched an eyebrow. "You boys have eyes in the backs of your heads? Wasn't neither one of you lookin' at me. Are Dixon's so much more advanced than us regular humans that you can sense a frown?" She grumbled.

"You tense up when you start to get all frowny like that." He said as the corners of his mouth turned up.

"I'd say you've been frettin' about somethin' for the last few minutes." Merle mumbled. "Figured you'd get over it but you just kept on a goin'. So quit it. Ain't nothin' to frown about."

She looked from one set of blue eyes to the other, they both looked back at her knowingly then they both turned back to their window gazing. She sighed and then relaxed. She really had been tense. And they had both been close enough to feel it in her shoulders which were touching both mans upper arms. Great. Now she couldn't even fret about anything to herself cause she was sitting with them.

"I think you two should take the front seats on the way back so I can sit between two men that don't pay as much attention."

"You like the attention. All women do." Merle argued without looking at her.

She changed her mind. There was no way she was going to talk to Merle about all her weird insecurities. Maybe Maggie, if Maggie wasn't already going through so much herself. She wished there was someone to confide in.

She didn't have time to sink back into her troubled thoughts. The car slowed down. The rain was falling again, harder than it had all day and she hoped that it wouldn't be this bad tomorrow afternoon. That was when they were coming for the town. And now she was having a hard time not thinking x rated thoughts anytime she'd notice the sound of the rain.

"It's gonna be hard to make out anything in this rain." Rick complained as he put the car in park. Should we wait it out or should we go back?"

Daryl leaned forward and looked out the front windshield. "You think we should go on foot from here? Just close enough to check it out?"

"Still got two miles to go. With it rainin' this hard we'd prolly get washed off the bridge. That'd be a damn shame, the four of us get takin' out by flood waters instead of Walker's after the world's ended."

Tyreese nodded. "He's right. We need to think of somethin' else."

"There isn't anything else we can do." Carol said quietly. "I think we should go on foot as far as we can."

"Wont be able to see anything through those binoculars in rain this hard." Daryl said, still squinting at the window. He blew out a heavy breath. "Son of a bitch."

"That rain'll mess with your senses too." Merle said warily. "You wont be able to hear anything comin' up on ya. And it'd only take those things a second to rip into ya." He looked down at Carol and shook his head. "I'd turn it around Rick. Nothin' gonna come of this trip. Waste of time."

Just then Carol noticed something in the headlights through the sheeting rain. A walker was stumbling forwards, then another emerged and another.

"Gun it, Rick." Daryl said quickly. "We got company."

Rick turned just as the first Walker reached the front of the car. "Oh shit." He breathed as he put the car in gear and slammed his foot down on the gas pedal. "The road's to narrow to make a U turn. I need to drive on up, find somewhere to turn around."

"Well do it quick. We don't know how many's out there." Daryl muttered as he leaned back and found her hand. "Last thing we need is to get our asses stuck on the side of the road with them fucker's comin' at us."

Rick ran over the first Walker and then two more. Before he found a spot to turn the car around he had hit at least ten.

"Why the hell are they so far down from Woodbury?" Merle asked of no one in particular.

No one gave him an answer because, quite frankly, no one else in the car knew. They should have been closer to the town. That's where the food was.

"Maybe there's another herd close by." Merle said to himself.

"Andrea said the size of the first herd was as big as the herd that ran us off Hershel's farm. If another herd runs through there that town ain't gonna be worth spit." Rick said angrily.

"We'll get it, Rick." Carol said in a quiet voice. "Or die tryin'.

Daryl squeezed her hand and gave her a sharp look. She could feel Merle's eyes on her too.

She smirked and kept her eyes straight ahead. "What? Too soon?"

"Carol." Daryl said in a gentle voice that caused her to turn her head to look at him. He held her gaze, his face unreadable. "Shut the fuck up."

"Yes sir." She muttered with a smile.

She couldn't help but keep glancing at him from the corner of her eye. She had seen him every single day since the day that this had all started. Had looked at him a million and one times but she had never let herself really really see him until today. And now it was hard not to keep looking. For some reason a vision of Ed came to mind and she started comparing the two. Ed had been a fat bastard from day one. Had always had the same stupid buzz cut. She started frowning again when she thought about his cruel eyes that had always criticized every move she made. And the ugly set of his mouth as it told her how worthless she was and how she wasn't a good enough wife. How he really didn't want her and no one else ever would either. And it was then that she knew where her earlier thoughts had come from. Her worries that Daryl would decide he didn't really want her. Ed was still whispering that in her ear. She shook her head, trying to banish his voice that was now echoing through her thoughts.

She jumped slightly when Daryl squeezed her hand. She had gotten so caught up in her reverie that she hadn't even noticed he had turned to look at her. "Where you at woman?" He asked, searching her face in the dark cab. She just shook her head. She could swear she could feel Merle's eyes on her again but she refused to look at him.

He turned his head but she could still see the profile of his face. His hair had grown out a lot over the past year. She liked it. Her gaze moved over, studying his high cheekbones, down to a sculpted jaw and strong chin. Down his neck where the first few buttons were left undone. Her eyes lingered there for a moment and then she remembered how his chest had felt under her hands, hard and muscled leading down to the flat planes of his stomach and then...

"Jesus, can we crack a fuckin' window or somethin'? It's a thousand degrees in this damn car." Her voice came out in a rush and was a few octaves higher than usual.

Everyone jumped a little as her strained voice, much too loud for a space so small, yanked them all from their own thoughts. She saw Ricks worried eyes flash up into the mirror, Tyreese turned around in his seat to look at her and of course the Brother's Dixon had to be staring at her to.

"What? Can't a woman get hot around here without all you men staring at her like she's stupid?" Oh, that didn't sound right at all. She felt herself flush more. "Shut it, Merle." She snapped as soon as he opened his mouth to say something that she knew was going to embarrass her further.

"You feel okay?" Daryl asked, humor dancing in his eyes but keeping his mouth set firm.

Why did he have to look at her? Because now she couldn't stop staring at that mouth and thinking about the things she knew it could do.

"Crack the window." She said, much quieter now. He did but he did it without taking his eyes from her. She felt a little better with the breeze drying the sweat that had broken out all over her body. What the hell was happening to her? She was pissed about getting sweaty in the first place since before they all left, Rick, in a show of good spirits, had let them use the generator so they could all take hot showers. She let out a breath. She needed to calm herself. But now she felt like she really couldn't breath. Maybe because the shirt she was wearing was cutting off her air supply.

"What's the matter?" Merle caused her to jump when he whispered in her ear.

She turned her head and she could swear he knew. He had that knowing look. The one that said that he knew something about you that he was going to bring up at the least inappropriate times. "Nothing." She blurted out quickly.

His gaze flicked down to her lap where her fingers were intertwined with Daryl's, then back up to her eyes. "Hey, little brother?" Merle kept staring at her.

"What?" Daryl asked.

"I think you're gonna need to hose this one down once we get back." He smirked and Carol decided that she hated him again.

"What?" Daryl asked, perplexed.

"Merle." She growled.

Merle shook his head. "Never mind." He turned his head back towards the window, his shoulders shaking slightly with his quiet laughter.

"Carol it's you're turn to take graveyard shift tonight." Rick said after a while. They were close to the prison now. "If you want I can see if someone else can take it. You ain't had the easiest week so if you need to rest up then just say the word. You ain't stopped since Daryl pulled you out of that storage room. You should be ready to drop."

"No, I'm fine. I'll take the tower. Relieve whoever is up there now." She said hurriedly. The tower sounded good right about now. It was good to be up there alone. It gave a person time to think. Everyone was always together in the prison and time alone was nice. Then she started feeling all flushed again since she knew exactly where her thoughts would take her.

"Daryl, you think you can take the fence alone tonight or would you rather have someone else with you so you can get it done faster? I wouldn't mind going out." Rick glanced up in the mirror, waiting on an answer but Daryl was still silently looking towards the window. "Daryl?" Rick asked again.

"What?" He grumbled.

"You want me to patrol the fence with you?" Rick asked, glancing back to the road. They were making slow progress since the rain was still coming down in sheets.

"No. I got it." He answered.

"Okay then. But it's gonna take longer. You're gonna be soaked." Rick muttered.

"Don't care." Daryl said as he ran his thumb lightly across the inside of Carol's wrist.

"I'm just tryin' to avoid the inevitable anyway. I gotta talk to Carl tonight." Rick said glumly.

"I was gonna say somethin' to you about that." Daryl said as he finally looked away from the window.

Carol frowned. "What's wrong with Carl?" She asked worriedly.

Daryl looked at her and rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, Carol. You ain't noticed the way he is with Beth?"

"Yeah, I noticed it about a month ago. But that doesn't mean anything will happen. They're just kinda feelin' one another out right now." She said.

"The last thing I want is for my thirteen year old son to be feelin' anyone out. Especially Beth. Could you imagine? Those two don't know anything about stuff like that. What if they decided to go off somewhere and feel each other out? Not knowin' what the hell they are doin' and that little girl ended up pregnant?" Rick sounded like he was on the verge of panic and his foot stepped down on the gas as though he imagined that that was actually happening right now.

"Rick, I don't think you have to worry about that right now." Carol said but her voice was unsure.

"Are you crazy?" Daryl looked at her. "Remember what he said to me in the kitchen earlier?" He shut his mouth quickly but Rick was already glancing up at them.

"What? What did he say to you in the kitchen?" Rick cried.

Daryl shook his head. "Nothin'." If he ratted Carl out then he would be ratting himself out so he just kept his mouth shut for the rest of the ride as Rick kept glancing at him in the mirror. Finally they made it to the gates. Axel let them in and closed the gate back quickly.

So she would be relieving Axel from guard duty. She groaned. It was always hard to get him to leave. He almost always insisted on keeping her company and she always insisted that he not keep her company. When Rick turned off the car they all sat there for a moment, none of them really wanting to step out into the rain.

"So, I'll have Axel go on back in and you go up to the tower. I'll send somebody else out in about four hours. Daryl, you might as well hit the fence now. I don't see this letting up for a while and the sooner you get done the sooner you can come in and get dry." And with that Rick threw open his door and rushed out into the rain. Tyreese followed and then it was just her and the Dixon's.

"So," Merle began as he turned his head towards them.

They both waited for him to continue but he just looked at them expectantly.

"So what?" Daryl asked, his voice guarded.

"So tonight's the night, huh? You can't tell me you wasn't plannin' on climbin' up that tower as soon as the coast was clear."

"Merle, shut up." Carol grumbled but her heartbeat picked up at the thought. No one ever bothered the guard tower unless it was time to switch out. Four hours completely alone. She could think of a whole lot to do for four whole hours. She blushed furiously after that thought crossed her mind.

He grinned at them. "Alright, alright. Just remember, Daryl. Start out slow or all you're gonna do is blow it." He laughed. "In more ways than one." He dodged Carol as she tried to kick him on his way out.

"God, he's such a shithead sometimes." She grumbled as she turned back to Daryl.

Daryl was still glaring at the closed door. "Yeah, he is." He glanced at her and then grabbed his door handle. "Guess I better get this over with." He said, still looking at her.

"Okay." She said, her voice sounding rather small in the silence of the car. She felt her stomach do a little flip as he stared at her. She wasn't sure what she was suppose to say now. And he wasn't saying anything either which made her nervous. "Don't drown on me out there."

His lips twitched and then he was gone. Dashing out and disappearing in the rain. She stayed right there for a second and then she scooted over and reached for the door he had just closed. She groaned. She didn't want to get out of the car. The rain was cold. Really cold. She ran to the tower and threw open the door. It slammed shut behind her and she had to feel around in the darkness for the rifle that Axel was suppose to have left at the bottom of the stairs for the next person on duty. She wished she had a flashlight or something with her. She usually did but she went straight to the tower from the car so she was blind.

"Where the hell is that gun?" She asked the darkness.

She let out a strangled yelp when someone reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her forwards, further away from the door. "You always talk to yourself when you're alone?" Someone growled in her ear.

She knew who it was before she heard him speak. She knew those rough hands anywhere. She grinned in the dark. "Sometimes." She said in a quiet voice.

"So you never shut up then? Even when you're alone?" He asked as he yanked her towards him roughly until she slammed into his chest.

"Nope, never." She whispered as she felt his lips on the side of her neck.

"Sometimes you even talk in your sleep." He whispered back as his lips trailed across her jawbone.

"What do I say?" She shivered despite the steady rise in her body temperature.

"Lot's of stuff."

She finally shut her mouth when his lips finally found hers. She reached up and put her hands on the sides of his neck, his pulse racing under her palms. She wondered if he was as nervous as she was. She may as well have been as inexperienced as Merle had implied he was. Sex was never something that she had ever enjoyed before. She had loathed the thought of it. The thought of Ed writhing around on top of her while she lay there too afraid to even blink made her sick.

But this was different. Very very different. Now she understood what the fuss was about. This time she didn't stop his hands when they found their way under her shirt. He didn't stop moving his hands up until the shirt was over her head and tossed somewhere in the darkness. Then his hands were all over her. No, Merle was very wrong. This wasn't some fumbling amateur. He seemed to know exactly what to do to get the biggest reaction out of her. The only time his mouth left hers was to explore somewhere else.

She was actually the one fumbling. She couldn't seem to get the buttons of his shirt undone fast enough. Finally he moved her hands away and did it himself. Something unexpected happened when she was just about to slip her arms around his waist when he stopped moving. Frozen in place, except for his hands that clasped her wrists tightly, stopping her. Even his lips stopped moving. He pulled away and then put his forehead on hers, a heavy breath washing over her face. Her mind was racing, not knowing what she had done wrong.

"What'd I do?" She finally whispered after several long moments that seemed to stretch on forever.

He shook his head slightly. "Nothin'. You didn't do nothin'."

"Then why'd you stop?" She hated not being able to see his face. She couldn't tell by his voice what he was thinking but she would have been able to read his face clearly.

He let go of her wrists, but still stayed very still. She wasn't sure what to do. She was really bad at this. Her hands had started shaking as they rested on his sides. She let out a shudder when she felt his hands cup her face. His forehead still pressed against hers.

"Sorry." He said. There was something off about his tone. She wasn't sure what it was but it was there just the same.

She let her hands move just a little. He stilled again but didn't stop her this time. She stopped on her own.

"It's alright." He said and then kissed her again.

She thought about finding a different route for her hands but then decided against it. He said it was alright so she slowly moved her hands to his back. And then realized exactly what had made him freeze up the way he did. His back was covered in large raised scars. From what she could tell they differed in size and texture but all of them were bad. She didn't linger on any that she felt. She didn't pull away and she didn't ask him any questions. She just continued on like there wasn't anything there. She had never even realized that she hadn't seen his back before. Now she knew why. She was glad he let her touch him like that. It wasn't easy for him to let anyone in and this was something he had hidden even from her. The longer her hands explored him the more he relaxed, until finally they ended up on the floor.

"You sure you wanna do this?" He asked as he quickly slid her jeans down her hips. He tossed them to the side and leaned over her once more.

"Yeah." She couldn't get over how good his skin felt against hers.

"I'm just gonna let you know, if Glen comes in here, I ain't stoppin'. He can watch for all I care."

She almost laughed but he didn't give her a chance. She gasped as he shifted slightly and then their bodies came together just as a huge clap of thunder shook the very floor they were laying on. She was expecting some semblance of pain, which was what she had always associated with sex. Pain, humiliation and anger. But his movements were slow and deliberate, giving her body time to get used to him before he picked up his pace. Daryl was definitely a lot more man than Ed had ever been.

Something she had always admired about him was his attention to detail. The man missed nothing. Ever. And that quality was something he put to use with her. He paid close attention to her body's response to every new movement he made until he developed his own complex rhythm that had her covering her mouth with her hand to keep herself from crying out as her body shuddered under his. She never imagined that she could be capable of feeling sensations like she was now. And, to be honest, she never imagined that this brooding, rough mannered antisocial redneck would be this capable of being this selfless with her. Because this wasn't about him. He was making it very much all about her. She was unaware of time passing. It felt like hours. Time didn't matter. Nothing mattered at the moment except him. Over and over he took her over that edge and then back.

She raked her nails across his back and he groaned softly in her ear. That one small sound undone her again and this time she felt his body go rigid before he let what sounded like a whimper escape his lips and then he crushed her mouth with his to cut off anymore sound. Just knowing that he had finally let go intensified her body's own release, which shocked her because she hadn't known that it could get more intense than what she was already experiencing, but she was wrong.

When he finally stilled he buried his face between her neck and shoulder. They were both panting. The sounds of their heavy breathing the only sounds in the tower. The rain had stopped. Her limbs felt weak. The muscles in her stomach trembled as tremors still coursed through her body. When he finally lifted his head and moved away from her she heard him chuckle low in his throat.

"What's so funny?" She asked as she felt something land next to her. When she reached out she felt the dampness of her shirt. She heard the rustle of his own clothes as he got dressed somewhere near her. She slipped the cold shirt over her head and then her jeans landed in her lap.

"Nothin'." Then he chuckled again.

She stood up, buttoning her jeans. "Are you laughing at me?" She asked with a grin. She didn't feel embarrassed like she thought she would.

"I ain't laughin' at you. I just didn't expect... that." He said in a husky voice. He was closer now.

"Didn't expect what, exactly?" She felt his breath on the back of her neck and wondered how he had gotten there. She hadn't heard him move behind her.

"Didn't expect you to, um, like it that much."

Now it was her that was laughing. "Givin' yourself a pat on the back, Dixon? And you ain't the only one that didn't expect that."

"Figured, I'd suck at it, huh?" She could tell he was grinning in the dark just by the sound of his voice.

"Nope. You don't suck at anything. You're actually pretty fuckin' perfect." She felt his arms sliding around her waist.

"Merle was right, Carol. You do got a dirty mouth now days. I remember when the filthiest thing to come out of your mouth was gosh darn and jeeze."

She smacked his arm. "That isn't true."

"Makes me wonder..."

"Wonder what?" She asked and then remembered the rest of what Merle had said to her the night before.

He kissed her neck and pulled away. "I gotta go. That fence ain't gonna check itself. Coulda gotten overrun by now." He said as he walked towards the door.

"I doubt it." She mumbled as she felt her way towards the stairs.

"The gun's up top. I'll see you in a few hours" He said and then he was gone. Disappearing into the dark yard. The room felt cold without him there.

Daryl ran his fingers down the chain links as he walked. He kept his eyes on the Walkers that were stumbling towards the fence. He got his knife out and waited for them to approach. He usually liked this time of night. Just him and the dead. It was quiet. It gave a man a chance to think about things. Tonight was different. He wanted to go back to the tower. He wanted to be near her. He felt the pull, knowing she was up there, like a drug. He was a mess over that woman.

He slid the blade through the eye of the first Walker that appeared. Some nights, when she wasn't on watch, she would walk the fence with him. Those were the times she kept mostly quiet. He enjoyed those nights, where he was able to keep an eye on her. He always felt uneasy when she wasn't around. Even if she was just inside the prison. Anything could happen to her, even in there. Like the day she had disappeared. The day that they had lost Lori and T.

He still didn't know how he had kept that torment to himself. Rick had lost it. Completely lost it. But Daryl had just swallowed it all down. Up until the day he pulled the knife he had given her out of that Walkers face. He felt it slip then, felt a fissure form in his mind. He had thought he would find her. But he thought that when he did that he would have to kill her all over again. He thought for sure that when he opened that door she would be there, ready to feed on him. For a while he thought maybe it would be better to just let her. To give up right then. But there was the baby and the group that needed him just as she always had. So opting out hadn't been an option for him. It seemed like a long long time ago. Hell, yesterday seemed like a long time ago after everything that had happened.

Another Walker got too close. Another easy kill.

He glanced up towards the tower. He was glad the rain finally stopped. The clouds were thinning, giving off enough light to see by. It had been so dark at the bottom of the watch tower that he couldn't see anything. Neither could she. Which was why he had jumped at the chance to catch her there. There were some things about him that he didn't want her to see. He'd almost bolted when she had moved her hands to his back. He knew she would feel the scars. But he had finally let go and she reacted just like he should have known she would. Like it was just another part of him that she could easily accept without question. Without judgment. He shook his head.

He had never known anyone like her in his life. People like her were a rare thing, especially now. She felt everything just a little more deeply than anyone else. She was always a giver, rarely thinking of herself, always there for any of them that needed her. Easily taking Maggie and Beth under her wing. Keeping a watchful eye on Carl. Tending to wounds and cooking their food. But then at the drop of a dime she could transform into that fighter that he'd seen in the hallway after he'd pretty much sealed Merle's fate with the group. She would fight. Fight for what she believed in and fight for the people she loved. He didn't think Merle would ever earn that love she had for him, and he knew she loved the big dumb bastard. Not like he was sure she loved him. It was different. But there, just the same and she fought for Merle, whether he had earned it or not. She was something else. She made it all worth it. He never would have found her had it not been for the end of the world and so he was thankful for it every day. Never wanting to go back to a time before it all went to shit. The Walkers, the hunger, the fear, the uncertainty, the pain and the loss were all worth it to him, as long as she was with him.

He wasn't good enough for her. He knew that. But he was willing to try to be someone that she deserved. And she wasn't even aware that she deserved better, that was the strange thing. He didn't like to think back to all the times he had hurt her but his mind always wondered there. He shook his head angrily when his mind went back to the night that she had found him at his camp. The night he had told her that it was her fault Sophia was dead. He was angrier than he had ever been in his life. Not because he had failed and wasn't able to bring the girl back but because he had really tried to let Carol in and he had felt like she turned away from him as soon as she didn't need him to look for her daughter anymore.

She had pulled away from him after Rick had shot the little girl. Had looked at him with so much contempt, like she was blaming him, that it had stunned him. And then later on he had went looking for her in the woods. That was when he came up on her and Shane. He watched as she accepted the comfort that Shane had to offer, watched in silence as the other man washed the blood from her hands. When Shane was the one that had been opposed to even hunting for the girl. He had been the one to fling open the barn doors. And there she was, with him. And that's when he knew. Knew that he wanted to be the one she turned too. The one to make her feel like the world wasn't over. Knew that somehow, for reasons he hadn't been able understand, that he loved her. And he had hated himself for trying so hard to let her in. Hated knowing that he wasn't the one for her. And he hated not knowing why he felt that way to begin with. That was the day he had moved away from the house and to his own camp. He was actually going to go. Leave the group. Leave her. But then she came after him. Trying, in her own way, to smooth things over. But that hadn't happened. He wasn't going to let her get away with hurting him. That was when he'd turned on her, letting all that anger and rejection spill out. Remembered how she had flinched when she thought he was going to hit her. And that had made him sick. It still did. So he had stayed on. And she'd offer him a smile every time she'd see him. Check up on him when too much time would go by without seeing him. Hooking him right in again.

He was glad she had hooked him again. She hadn't even meant too hook him in. She didn't have to. All she had to do was give him a smile and he'd start feeling all goofy. He had hated that. He didn't even think that she had meant to treat him badly after Sophia. But that was all in the past.

Now things were damn near perfect. He had her, he had his brother back, the group was larger and more secure and soon, just maybe, they would have Woodbury. The guns and the ammo, no more scrounging for rats and squirrels to eat. All of this was good. But the old Daryl raised his head every once in a while, scoffing at their good luck. He wasn't the kind of man that luck smiled down on. He couldn't help but feel a little pessimistic about it. The more he had, the more could be taken from him. He was torn on how to feel about it all.

"Daryl?" A low voice said from behind him.

He turned towards the speaker and grunted. It was Michonne. He still didn't know how he felt about her. She was a strange one. "Yeah." He grumbled.

"Time to switch out. I get the fence. Tyreese is taking watch." She said, gesturing towards the tower that Carol was in.

He nodded but didn't walk away like she had obviously expected. "Make sure you keep your eye on the bottom. Don't need the fence pullin' up any. Those things would crawl right under if given the chance."

She looked down and tapped the fence with the tip of her toe, nodding. "Will do."

He turned around and walked towards the tower then. He could feel her dark eyes boring into his back. Man, that was one creepy woman.

He took the dark stairs two at a time, making enough noise so Tyreese and Carol would hear him coming and not think that he was trying to sneak up on her. He felt excitement churn in his stomach at the thought of seeing her again. It couldn't have been more than an hour and a half since he'd seen her but that didn't matter. If Merle knew half of the things that went through Daryl's head when it came to Carol he would probably disown him. Deem him the pussy of all of pussidom. But Daryl didn't much care anymore. He thought that Merle was about half too scared to cross Carol. He couldn't intimidate her and it threw him off balance a bit. Merle liked to intimidate people.

Her eyes lit up when he came through the door. Tyreese turned and offered him a friendly smile. He really was a nice guy. As long as he knew where to draw the line with his friendship with Carol he figured that he could really learn to like the big man.

"Ready to go?" He asked her after nodding to Tyreese. "Need to get out of these wet clothes." Even in the dark he could see her cheeks flame.

She nodded and took his hand. "So, see you in the mornin'." She called over her shoulder as he led her down the dark stairs.

They didn't say anything on their way to the prison. Neither really knew what to say to the other. But the silence was comfortable instead of awkward. He kept hold of her hand until they entered their cell block.

"You two satisfied?" Someone said from the nearest cell.

They both glanced up at the sound of the voice. Andrea sat there with her head hung low. She had a cruel smile on her face.

"We didn't put you in here, Andrea." Carol said in a low voice. "You did it to yourself."

Andrea flew from the bunk and gripped the bars, glaring. "How? How is it my fault? I've lost everything. Everything, Carol. My home, and those people, they were like my family. And there you are," That cold smile found it's place once more on her lips. "You got your guy. God knows how many people had to die for that. My people. But as long as you got what you wanted, right? Was it worth it? All those people that lost their lives for him?" She shot Daryl a disgusted look.

Carol stepped close to the bars and smiled back at her. "Yeah. Yeah, he was worth every single one of'em. And stop. Stop blaming everyone else for every bad thing that happens to you. Bad things happen to you because you're stupid. You throw around your condescending remarks with your holier than thou attitude like we owe you something. We don't. We never did. You aren't better than us. You aren't better than anyone. You shoulda died that night on the farm. Believe me, it wouldn't have made a difference." She spat and then, taking Daryl's hand once more, she stormed off towards the perch.

"How did you get off the farm?" Andrea yelled. "I got left because I was trying to save your life, Carol. If not for me you'd have been dead!"

Carol didn't turn around. She wasn't taking Andrea's bait.

"Do you feel bad about that?" He asked as she climbed over him to her spot by the wall.

"About what?" She snapped angrily.

He had to suppress a grin at her tone. "About what she said."

"Screw her. I swear I hate that woman. She just don't know what loyalty is cause she can't fathom the thought of giving a shit about anyone but herself. I'd kill every other livin' person to save this group, especially you. Hell no I don't feel bad about it! Would you?" She sounded so angry he couldn't help but laugh a little.

"I wouldn't feel bad about it. But me and you ain't the same." He said in her ear. She shivered and moved closer, pulling the blanket up to her chin. The rain had made it colder and now they actually needed the blankets.

"We ain't much different, Daryl." She whispered as she ran her hand up his back again, fingers now tracing the evidence of his painful past.

"I suppose we really ain't." He said quietly.

"And besides, I didn't lead no damn Walkers through that hole. But I plan to find out who did." She said coldly.

For some reason this caused a cold knot of fear to form in the pit of his stomach. He didn't know what it was but he was afraid. He was still awake long after she had fallen asleep. All he knew to do was keep her close. Keep her safe. Because he felt as though she was slipping away a little, even though she was right there, curled up in the crook of his arm.


	9. Chapter 9

**This is a very short chapter compared to the others but it is an important one. I had to throw in Merle's point of view eventually and felt that it was time. Thanks for the reviews! And once again, I hope you enjoy this chapter =)**

Chapter Nine

Merle sighed in relief when he saw Carol and his brother coming down the stairs. He was bored out of his head and everyone around here had a bur up there ass. He was about sick of getting dirty looks from the Chinese kid and the farmer. Rick wasn't so bad, he supposed. Not since Carol kicked his ass.

She was the first one to catch his eye when she hit the bottom of the stairs. She smiled at him. That same smile that made him feel all stupid inside. That woman was turning him and his brother into a couple pansy asses. He wanted to give Daryl a hard time over her but he couldn't. He felt the corners of his mouth turn up as she approached him. She looked different today. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes, which were always wide and clear, were extra bright. There was a lightness to her step that Merle hadn't noticed before.

"Mornin', Merle. Has anybody fed you? She asked.

He couldn't remember ever seeing her in such a good mood. He narrowed his eyes and glanced up at his brother. Yeah, something definitely happened. Daryl had that 'I got laid' skip in his step. About damn time. Merle just hoped he hadn't messed it up, but by the look on Carol's face he'd done just fine.

"Merle?" She asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

"Huh?"

"Have you had anything to eat?" She asked again.

"Oh. Nah. Wasn't hungry." He said, still keeping his eye on his brother as Daryl talked to Rick.

"Are you hungry now?" She asked and then touched his arm so she would have his attention.

"I could eat." He shrugged. He watched as Glen and Maggie came in followed by the one legged old man and those two sneaky kids. Beth looked his way and smiled at him. He liked that one. She was sweet. He doubted she would live long though. Sweet didn't get you far now days so he didn't see the point in getting to know her. Maggie glanced his way and gave him a discreet wave. Glen gave him a dirty look.

"Come with me to the kitchen and I'll start breakfast. Daryl's actin' all weird. Said he don't want me goin anywhere without either him or you with me. It's easier just to not argue with him." She grabbed him by the hand and led him out of the room. Daryl nodded at him.

"So, whats he got me babysittin' for anyhow?" Merle asked as he leaned against the door frame while she started mixing stuff in a giant mixing bowl.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I woke up and he just jumped into this big tyrade about how I'm always wonderin' off alone and how from now on, if I have some place to be, I need to get you to go with me if he can't. He had to talk to Rick this mornin'. We gotta eat, so you're it." She glanced up with a wide smile.

"I thought you got all pissy when he startin' bossin' ya around like that?" Merle said somberly. "Figure you'd pitch a fit for this one."

She shrugged. "Thought about it. I don't think I need an escort to go make breakfast. You two know I can handle my own pretty well. But he seemed pretty worried for some reason so I let it go. Besides, maybe I just wanted to hang out with you today, Merle. Ever think of that?"

He felt that big dopey smile spread across his face and couldn't do a damn thing about it. He liked that she liked him. It made him feel good. He was good at being the bad guy. He was the bad guy. But she accepted him for all his faults and seemed to like him anyway. He found himself shutting his mouth when he really didn't want to and being nice to people he'd much rather spit on, just so she'd smile at him.

He scoffed at himself. Merle Dixon was the baddest mother fucker that Merle Dixon knew. But right now Merle Dixon felt like a big stupid marshmallow. A marshmallow that was smiling at a woman that he didn't even plan on nailing. He grumbled inwardly.

He watched her for a long time but it was too quiet. Silence always made him nervous. Unless he was hunting or doing something else that kept his mind and hands busy. "So, you gonna tell me about it? It's probably our only chance to be alone today. We gotta gossip woman. You know you wanna tell somebody."

Her eyes flashed up, still too bright, and her mouth turned up in another one of those smiles. She just shook her head.

She turned around and bent over to put the biscuits in the oven. He couldn't help checking out her ass. He wouldn't ever think about touching her. Well, he spent a lot of time thinking about touching her yesterday but that was yesterday. She had become off limits. But he was a man and she was wearing those tight little jeans that were extra low rise.

"Merle, are you staring at my ass?" She asked, annoyance clear in her tone. Her head was turned, looking at him with a scowl.

"No!" He scoffed.

She turned around and grabbed another huge bowl and started mixing up some more stuff that he couldn't identify yet. She kept glancing at him.

"Come on now, Little Dixon. Just spill the beans. Ya'll went at it in the guard tower didn't ya?" He came around the counter and elbowed her in the ribs. "Tell me somethin' damn it! Nobody around here talks to me much. I'm always outta the loop."

She looked up as she started mixing the yellow goo in the bowl. "That's your fault, big brother. You make yourself unapproachable, seein' how you're a big dickhead most of the time." She winked at him.

His stomach did some sort of stupid flip when she called him big brother. God, he wanted to puke. He should just stay the hell away from this evil woman. She was turning him and his brother into pussies.

"But, since I sorta like you, despite the fact that you are a dickhead most of the time, I'll spill." She grinned as she poured the mixture into a pan.

"So you did?" He asked as he hopped up onto the counter, facing the doorway but keeping his head turned towards her.

She hopped up next to him, so close their thighs were actually touching. "Yes, Merle. Are you happy now?"

He hit her shoulder with his own. "Hell no there's more to tell. How was it? He messed up didn't he?" He asked with a grin.

She shook her head. "Honestly?"

"Preferably." He said sarcastically.

She shoved his shoulder back. "It was un-fuckin'-believable." She grinned too, only blushing a little. She was getting used to their little back and forth's. He liked that too. And he really was curious.

"No shit? He didn't do anything stupid like cream his pants and cry about it?"

"You are so nasty sometimes." She grimaced. "No, none of that. Seemed to me like he knew exactly what he was doin'."

"No shit?" He repeated. "He didn't, you know, blow it?" He laughed.

"Nope. We were in there for at least an hour. Probably longer but we weren't keepin time, dummy."

"And he was able to... well, I wont say it cause you'll just call me nasty again."

"What?" She laughed at his surprised face.

"Did you, you know?"

She sighed. "Yep. Even lost track of how many times. Like I said, unbelievable."

"I'll be damned! Well I'm proud of that awkward little fucker. Finally sealed the deal." He slapped her knee as he laughed and then the sound of someone else laughing had them both jumping down from the counter.

Maggie was standing there with her hand over her mouth, trying hard to stifle her laughter. Standing next to her, face blazing, arms crossed over his chest, was Daryl Dixon.

"Oh shit." Merle and Carol both said in unison. They looked at each other, both looking like they had been caught stealing, and then looked back at the two in the doorway.

"Uh oh. I don't think we'll be able to hang out after this, Merle." She whispered.

"I believe your right." He mumbled back.

"See Daryl! I told you that Merle got the full scoop and I got nothin!" Maggie said as she wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Carol. Merle." Daryl growled.

"We was just talkin', little brother. No need to get all pissy about it. She was really talkin' ya up too."

"We heard." Maggie started giggling again. Earning her a stern look from Daryl.

"Are you two serious? What the fuck, Merle! You two in here actin' like a couple of teenaged girls!" Daryl grumbled as him and Maggie stepped into the room.

Merle and Carol shared another look.

Merle sighed. "We're sorry. There, that better?"

Daryl groaned loudly when Carol tried, unsuccessfully, to give him an apologetic look and then she started laughing.

"Every single day in this place, I get fucked with. I'm takin' that town today if I gotta do it alone. And when I'm done, ain't one of you assholes allowed to ever step foot in my house. Ever." He grumbled.

Carol stuck her bottom lip out like a petulant child. "Not even me?"

"Especially not you. This is all your fault. You and your big flappin' mouth."

Merle was having fun tormenting his brother but they did need to get down to business. Carol was checking on the food, hiding the fact that she was still laughing and Maggie was finally calming her fool self so it was time for him to bring up Woodbury.

"You and Rick talk about the plans for today?" Merle asked.

Daryl glanced over at Carol and then shrugged. "Yeah. I hope you're right about that place."

Merle also let his gaze slip over to Carol. "Me too. Any way we could talk her into sitting this one out?" He asked hopefully.

Daryl snorted. "Hey, Carol?"

She turned away from the stove. "Yeah."

"You wanna finish talkin' about what we were talkin' about upstairs?" he asked

She spun around, glaring. "No." She growled clenching her teeth. "I agreed to your stupid rule. For now. I'll play little shadow to you and your brother all day but I'll be damned if either one of you assholes are gonna keep me here while you go off riskin' your damn fool lives for that town, you got it? I'm done talkin' about it.

"You coulda' just said you already talked about it." Merle grumbled. "Now you got her pissed at both of us."

"I don't want her goin' today. But I ain't tellin' her she can't go. Are you?"

Merle shook his head.

"She'll be fine ya'll. Carol's strong. She knows how to use a knife better than all of us. Stop worryin' about her." Maggie said gently. "Not that the two of you worryin' ain't cute and all."

"Shut up Maggie." Daryl grumbled.

"Shuttin' up, Daryl." She grinned.

"Maggie? What the hell are you doing?"

Everyone looked up as an angry looking Glen stormed into the kitchen. He glared at Merle who Maggie, simply by coincidence, was standing next to.

"I'm talkin' to my friends. Last I checked that was still legal around here." She snapped.

"Trouble in paradise?" Merle asked with a sneer.

"Merle." Carol said sternly.

He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Carol for a second. Sometimes she really got under his skin. But then her eyebrows shot up and he felt the glare slip from his face. He looked away and then decided to glare at Daryl. Just so he could glare at someone. Daryl just shook his head and looked on as Maggie squared her shoulders and gave Glen a pointed look.

"Friends?" Glen looked really pissed. "You know, I can see why you fought so hard to keep him here yesterday. I really do because there was a point to that. But this son of a bitch tried to kill me. I just thought that maybe you would harbor some ill will towards him for that. Call me crazy." Glen gave a humorless laugh.

"I didn't try to kill you until you busted my nose and refused to tell me where the hell my brother was." Merle roared, taking a step towards Glen. Daryl moved between them.

"I don't think so, Merle." Daryl said, crossing his arms.

Merle felt a hand on his arm and knew who it belonged too without even looking. He was instantly more calm, but he was still pissed. He was tired. Tired of the way these people looked at him. Tired of Daryl taking their side over his every time one of them tried to start shit with him. He understood why Carol came before him now, but not the rest of them.

"You wanna know what I did boy?" Merle spat. "I saved that pretty girls ass is what I did. See, the good Governor wanted to put a man named James on your girl here. Do a little torture therapy to find out where you all was holed up. Carol, remember James?"

Carol's grip tightened on his arm.

"See, this was James's house first. He escaped here durin' the fall out. Real nasty man with a taste for the ladies if you know what I mean. I convinced Philip to let me get the information outta you first. I wanted to beat your ass, don't get me wrong. I wasn't goin in to be nobody's hero. But what happened to her woulda been a whole lot messier had I not done what I did to you. So you need to keep that look wiped off that face of yours from now on. We're even. You left me to die. I kicked your ass. I saved your woman. She helped save me. That's as square as it gets, son."

No one said a word for a while. Glen was looking at the floor and Maggie was standing there, her eyes filled with unshed tears.

"You did what you did to me, for her?" Glen asked, looking shocked.

Merle snorted. "I did what I did cause I don't like you, boy."

Glen looked unconvinced. So did everyone else. Merle glared at all of them. Except Carol who still had his arm. He didn't want all of them thinking he was some kind of good person. He wasn't. He didn't want to be like his brother, some kind of high ranking superior to a group of spineless pussies who hole up in dungeons cause they're too weak to face the outside world. They all made him sick. He wretched his arm away from Carols hand and stormed out. Not towards the cell block where all the others were gathered, probably painting each others toenails. He went in the opposite direction. Heading towards the tombs. He lived like a rat now, he may as well explore like one.

He should have left when he had the chance yesterday. They had made their vote. He wasn't wanted around here. And that was fine cause he didn't want to be here. Then Carol had to throw her crazy fit and made everyone change their minds. He grunted and then kicked the shit out of a door that hung partially open.

He didn't want to leave his brother. But he was starting to think that his brother was a lost cause. He'd found himself while Merle was gone. Turned into somebody Merle barely recognized anymore. Maybe they were right. Maybe sometimes water was a little thicker than blood under the right circumstances. That wasn't good news for him. That left him with nothing. It had always been him and his brother. Now it was his brother and this group, with Merle thrown in as some kind of inconvenience.

Man, how had this morning gotten so fucked up? He let out a breath and then nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt something touch his back. He spun around, releasing the blade on his arm.

"Goddamn it, woman! I coulda just killed you, stupid!"

Carol just smirked as she pushed the blade away from her face. "Wouldn't that have been a mess." She gave him a small smile.

"Can't you take a hint?" He grumbled. "If I'd have wanted company I'd have dragged you with me. Always gotta be pesterin' somebody."

The smile stayed in place as she gazed at him.

"Why don't you go find Daryl? I'm sure he wont care if you pester him."

She still said nothing.

"Why are you just lookin' at me like you're some kind of fuckin' retard?" He barked.

"Because. I'm good at readin' people Merle. And I'm figurin' you out real quick. I know exactly what you're down here doin'." She rubbed her arms, there was a chill in the air.

The first thing that sprung to Merle's mind was to take her back to where it was warmer and that pissed him off again. Who gave a shit if she was cold? Then he frowned when he realized that he did. "And what's that? What am I doin', Miss Know It All?"

"You're tryin' to talk yourself into leavin'. And you're down here feelin' sorry for yourself. You're havin' a hard time adapting to change, Merle. But we all have to do it."

He took an aggressive step towards her but she didn't flinch, didn't back away from him. "What's with you anyway?" He growled. "You just can't resist a lost cause, can you? First my brother and now me. Truth is, Carol, I don't need to change. I like Merle just the way he is. Other people don't and that's just fine by me. You ain't gonna change who I am."

"I don't want to." She said softly. "There ain't nothin' wrong with who you are." She was about to touch his hand, he could tell, but she pulled her hand back. "You're all brash bravado. Just like your brother. And just like him, under that thick skin and that filthy mouth, you're a good man. You're just too chicken shit to show it."

He gaped at her. "You're crazy. You know that?" He spat. "Do I gotta go down the list of the people that I've killed over the past year? And a lot of it wasn't because I was told too. I fuckin' liked it. Killin' people, killin' Walkers, killin' squirrels. It's all the same to me, you idiot. I ain't one of your people. I ain't puttin' on some sort of badge of honor so I can walk around here with my head held high. I was plannin' on getting info from your Chinese friend, comin' for my brother and then killin' every single person here. Is that your idea of a good man? Is that somebody you wanna call your friend?"

"So, you're only here because there's nowhere else for you to go?" She asked. She didn't seem angry or scared.

"Pretty much."

"And killin' people don't bother you?" Her eyes studied him gently. He couldn't figure out why she wasn't pissed.

"No." His voice was gruff.

She shrugged her slender shoulders and crossed her arms over her chest. "Then kill me."

He could feel his eyes bug out of his head but he couldn't remember how to put them back in. "What the fuck are you talkin' about?"

"You know how many Walkers are down here, Merle. I'm the person that's holdin' Daryl back. He wont risk takin' me back out on the road. You get rid of me and all your problems are solved. Kill me. Go back there and tell'em we were attacked. You've got them all fooled. No one would think you would hurt me. You would have your brother back and you could get away from all the people you hate so much."

"Are you crazy?" He snapped.

"No. I care about you. I want you to be happy. It doesn't make any difference to you if I'm Carol or if I'm a Walker. No one is here. We're completely alone. I am your out, Merle. He ain't gonna leave otherwise." She took a step closer to him and he took a step back.

What the hell was wrong with her. He felt sick to his stomach. "I wouldn't ever hurt you." He muttered without meaning too. Who the hell did she think she was coming down here and fucking with his head like that? Offering herself to him that way?

She rolled her eyes like he'd said the dumbest thing. "You don't have to hurt me. I didn't tell you to skin me alive. Break my neck. That would only hurt for a second and then it'd be over. You'd be a free man. You know, it's kind of ironic. Merle Dixon would be the only man to land himself in prison after the world ended."

"This ain't funny, Carol." He growled.

"I think it's a little funny." The corners of her mouth turned up. "Well?"

"Well what?" His voice was low and guarded.

"Are you gonna do it? Someone is bound to come lookin' for us soon. The clock's tickin, big brother. Make up your mind."

He paced the hallway, his fist clenched at his side as he kicked at the wall. When he stepped up to her she still didn't flinch. He stood over her small frame, breathing heavy, fist still clenched at his side. She wasn't fazed. Instead of shrinking back like any sane person would do she reached up and placed her hands on his chest. That coiled tension started to loosen in him as he stared down at her. He started feeling less angry and more tired. More than tired, he felt drained, old. Being Merle wasn't easy. It took a lot out of a man. And here was this little thing, making him feel like he was somebody, at least to her. He didn't want to feel like that. But standing like that, with her small hands pressed firmly against his chest, surely feeling the erratic pounding of his heart through his shirt, he suddenly felt like maybe it would be alright. That he could really try to be the person she thought he was. But that was gonna take a lot of hard work from him and if there was anything he had always hated, it was hard work.

Finally he sighed, feeling even more tension drain from him as she slid her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back, less awkward than ever. Having a woman in his arms felt good. Not like all the other times he had women in his arms. This was different. The only thing she was offering him was her friendship and that's all he wanted. Needed, actually, and he felt like a weak man for admitting that. Not even Daryl, his own blood, had made him feel like she could. And then he thought of what they were about to do today and suddenly his arms tightened around her. Because Daryl wouldn't be the only person losing something if they ended up failing today. Merle wasn't sure why he started feeling the strange feeling that began to run its cold fingers up his spine. It was foreign to him. But all too soon he was able to recognize it for what it was. He didn't want to let her go because for the first time, maybe in his whole life, Merle Dixon was afraid. Not afraid of what they were going out to do today. He was scared. Scared half stupid when he thought of the woman that was hugging his neck tightly. A woman that suddenly seemed very small and fragile in his arms. His heart began pounding out the rhythm of that fear as he dropped his head to her shoulder and tried to ignore the tremors is his good hand.


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry It's taken me a couple of days to post this. I try really hard to post a chapter every day but it's been a busy weekend. Welcome to Woodbury folks. It's about to get intense again =) Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter Ten

Carol lead Merle back through the tombs to their cell block. He looked shaken. She knew that he was having a really hard time dealing with everything that had happened over the last few days. He struggled to adjust to this new life. But she didn't think that that was what was causing that troubled look in his eyes. She held his hand, their fingers intertwined, his grip was almost painful. He jumped at every sound they heard.

Daryl was there with Rick and the others. They glanced up at her and Merle when they entered but no one stared at them as, hand in hand, she walked with him to the cell that had belonged to her. She waited until they were away from the others to finally turn to him.

"What's wrong?" She asked, dropping his hand and sitting down next to him on the bunk. He was staring at the floor. "Besides the obvious, of course.

He turned his head, searching her face, expression grim. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, but that didn't help with the tension that was still radiating from him. "Why me?" He asked, eyes still searching her face.

"What?" She frowned.

"Why bother with someone like me? Nobody else would. I wanna know, and I want you to give it to me honest."

She gazed at him, taking his hand again. "Why not?" She didn't smile this time.

"You really gotta ask that? I ain't who you want me to be. Can't be who you want me to be." His voice sounded tired.

"I don't want you to be anybody else, Merle. You ain't gotta change for me to like you." She said in a quiet voice.

They were silent for a while. She got the feeling that he didn't like long stretches of quiet. He blew out another breath and glanced down at their hands and shook his head. "You know I care about you, right?" He seemed to be struggling with his words. Like he wasn't sure how to say the things that needed to be said. It must have been a Dixon trait. "And not in a lovey dovey way either. Not even in a wanna see you naked way."

"I know that." She gave him a small smile but he didn't see it. His eyes were still locked onto their hands.

"So, if I ask you somethin' you gotta know that I'm only askin' cause I care. And you outta feel damn special right now cause I normally don't care about a fuckin' thing."

"Go ahead with it then, Merle." She pressed.

"I want you to stay here today. I want you to stay right here in the cell block, with the doors locked until we get back."

She was quiet for a long time. Trying to not feel angry. This was the most docile she had ever seen him and if he was anything like his brother, and she knew he was, he would spook easily. "What's this all about, Merle? First Daryl and now you? Do the two of you really think that I can't take care of myself?"

He shook his head. "It ain't nothin' like that. It's somethin' else."

"Then tell me what it is."

When he finally looked up at her there was something in his eyes that sent a sick feeling of dread through her. His voice was so strained that it cracked with emotion. "I can't really explain it. I know you can take care of yourself. But I have this feelin'..." his voice trailed off as he looked away from her face and back down to their hands.

"What is it Merle?" She whispered as his grip tightened on her hand.

"I feel like you're already gone. That me and Daryl's done lost ya somehow. And it's scarin' the holy fuck outta me."

Daryl kept glancing up at his brother. Something wasn't right with him, he could feel it. There was a lot not right about today. The rain had finally stopped but the day still felt dark to him. He hadn't slept much. He'd dose off and then jerk himself awake to make sure Carol was still there. That feeling he had went to sleep with didn't abate as the sun came up.

"What's up, brother?" Daryl asked as he shoved extra guns into the cargo space in the back of the SUV that him, Carol, Merle, Tyreese and Michonne were taking to Woodbury..

Merle looked up at him, his mouth set in a grim line. He looked over at Carol who was standing with her head close to Maggie's laughing about something. Probably more Daryl stories. He just shrugged and slammed the door closed.

"Come on Merle. I know that look." He pressed.

Merle blew out a breath and leaned against the back of the SUV. "I just wish that fool woman of yours would listen to reason." He locked eyes with Daryl then. Daryl knew that his face was showing the worry he had tried to hide for most of the morning. "You feel it too, don't you?" Merle asked quietly.

Daryl tore his eyes away from Merle's without answering when Michonne and Tyreese came strolling up. Michonne went to where Carol stood with Maggie. Tyreese nodded to the two men.

Daryl gave one last lingering look to his brother and then strolled off towards Carol. Leaving them there to hash out the last few details of the trip.

"I have something for you." Michonne was saying quietly as he walked up on the women. She pulled her backpack around and slipped her hand into the large side pocket, pulling out two leather sheathes. The knife handles sticking out were familiar. She handed them over to Carol who looked at them in surprise.

"These are yours. I can't take these." Carol said, eyes wide. It was obvious to everyone that she really really wanted them.

Daryl didn't blame her. The handles were hand carved wood that were polished to such a high sheen that they seemed to radiate light instead of just reflect it. The wood was so dark it almost looked black. Someone had added some amazingly detailed designs carved straight into the wood. The blades were perfect. They weren't just knives, they were actually daggers and they were definitely a thing of beauty. And they were lethal. He knew two men had lost their lives to them already.

"You made your first kills with these. They ain't mine no more." Michonne said in a matter of fact tone.

"Where did you come across these anyway?" Carol asked.

"She must have made'em. Or someone hand made'em for her." Daryl cut in before Michonne could answer. "Those sheathes too. If you feel it, the leather's too soft to be that manufactured bullshit."

"I made them." Michonne said, eying Daryl with a new respect. "How did you know?"

He shrugged. "You can't buy quality like that. You're good, woman."

Michonne didn't say anything but she did look pleased to have her work admired.

"Thank you, Michonne." Carol said as Daryl helped her fix them to her belt. When she had one on each hip she grinned.

They all made their way to the SUV but Carol stopped Merle and Daryl before they could get in. "Can I talk to you two before we do this?" She asked, pulling them away by their hands.

They followed her reluctantly, neither one of them was sure if she was going to chew them out for all their worrying. When she turned to face them she didn't look too angry. But she did cross her arms across her chest and eyed them.

"You two have to stop, okay. All this worryin' and lookin' at me like I'm already dead."

They both physically flinched which caused her to roll her eyes. Neither one of the men said a word. Just kept looking at her.

"Look, I love you both. I do. But I can't have you going in there getting yourselves killed because you'r tryin' to look out for me. You have to trust me. I can take care of myself. I've saved both your asses, remember?" She tried to smile but they just kept on looking at her like it was the last time they'd ever see her.

She reached up and kissed Daryl lightly on the lips, hugged Merle and then walked away back towards the SUV, shaking her head in annoyance.

Rick and his group were the first to head out. Daryl drove with Merle riding shotgun while Tyreese was crammed in the back with Carol and Michonne. They were all armed with hand guns but they didn't plan on using them. If all went as planned then they wouldn't have to use them. They didn't want to draw anymore Walkers than were already there at the back where they were going to be going in. They were going to try to fend them off with quieter weapons. Daryl missed his crossbow. The first thing he was going to try to do once the hard part was over was try to find it. He felt naked without it. Exposed.

"If that place is as over run as that woman says it is then it's probably going to take us a while to get it cleaned up. It's going to stink to high heaven for weeks." Tyreese observed after the silence stretched on.

Daryl grunted. "It'll be worth it. Shouldn't take that long to clean it up either. We just gotta work fast. Hell I don't think the smell even bothers me anymore."

"Bother's the shit outta me." Merle grumbled as he looked out at the stretch of road before them.

Tyreese tried several more times to lighten the mood and get conversation flowing but he eventually gave up. Daryl was glad. He had shit to think about. Him and Merle had agreed to keep Carol between them while they broke through the Walkers to get to the guns. They would all go in back to back after the breach was patched up. Whether Carol would follow the rules was another story altogether. She wasn't going to be happy about Merle and Daryl keeping tabs on her but if they all lived to hear the bitching she was sure to give them then it would be a good day.

His own worry was one thing. He figured that it was pretty normal to feel that way right before diving into a herd of Walkers. Anybody would be tense about that. But when Merle expressed his own concern, not just for all of them but for Carol specifically, that was when Daryl's paranoia really cranked up. Ever since he woke up he seen everything as a bad omen. But they had to try and they would succeed. They didn't have a choice.

"Once all the Walkers are dead, what then? Do we go back to the prison or stay there all night and clean up as much as we can? I don't like the thought of leaving that place after we risk our lives to secure it. Anyone can take it after the Walkers are gone. Especially any of those men that survived the herd and fled." Michonne leaned up in her seat.

Merle and Daryl shared a look. That was a good question and apparently it was his call. "I think Ricks group should go back to the prison for the night. We should be the ones to stay. Unless any of you got a problem with that?" He glanced up in the mirror. He didn't like being the one to make the calls. That shit was Rick's job. But he didn't trust anyone else to guard the place so he was staying. Which meant Carol was staying and if she stayed he was sure that Merle would stay too.

"Sounds good to me." Carol said happily. "If you pick out a house tonight am I allowed to come over?"

Daryl flashed her a smile through the mirror. "I'll think about it. But I really doubt we're gonna be thinkin' about pickin' out anything tonight. We should all just hole up in the same place. Maybe somewhere close to all those guns so if someone does show up, they wont be alive long enough to cause any damage."

Daryl followed Rick down the familiar driveway and parked next to the truck that the other team had chosen to take on this excursion. They needed four wheel drive because of the mud. No one wanted to get stuck and possibly left behind. The ten of them met in front of the vehicles and went over the plans once again. Everyone knew what they were suppose to do so it didn't take long.

"You be safe out there." Rick said as he looked over Daryl's team. His eyes lingered on Carol. Daryl figured it was because they had thought she was dead for three days and then they got her back. It was hard on all of them to know that she was going to be in danger. He didn't think anyone, other than himself, realized how much she meant to them all until she wasn't there anymore.

To confirm his suspicions Rick walked up to Carol and hugged her tightly, cupping her face in his hands and staring down at her intently. "You watch yourself, damn it. We really do need you, you know?"

"For cookin'" She asked him grinning.

"Of course." He said and then kissed her forehead again.

Daryl grimaced. What the hell was wrong with everybody? If Merle wasn't holding her hand all the time Rick was putting his damn lips all over her. Okay, that was an exaggeration but still. He couldn't help but wonder what it was about her that just made everyone care so damn much. She was a mystery to him. Sure enough as soon as Rick let her go Merle grabbed her hand. He rolled his eyes. This was really getting ridiculous.

He usually wasn't one for public displays of affection. Shit like that just wasn't him. But there was a point that needed to be made. Even Tyreese, who was standing off to the side with his sister, was staring at her. He stormed over to where she was standing with Merle. Merle dropped her hand just as Daryl grabbed her face in both of his and kissed her, for way longer than necessary. She kissed him back just like he knew she would. Greedily. By he time he let her go her face was flushed and her eyes were extra wide. Everyone was staring at them. And he didn't give a shit. He stared back, he knew his face was smug, but he didn't care.

"What was that all about back there?" She asked as they leaned against the SUV and waited as everyone else talked amongst themselves before they had to make their silent trek through the woods. They still wanted to avoid the road, not knowing if any of the men that escaped would be watching it.

"What?" He asked innocently.

She laughed and pulled on his shirt until he was finally standing in front of her. "You know what." She grinned as she pulled him closer and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"That was nothin'." He smirked.

She shook her head and then leaned it into his chest. "You and Merle still worried?" She asked as she finally looked up.

"You should be glad we worry. Ain't neither one of us ever been too good about givin' a shit about other people. You outta take what we have to give, woman."

"I'll take it." She said into his shirt but he felt the stubborn shake of her head against him.

He turned when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Maggie was standing there looking at him expectantly. "What?" He grumbled as he pulled away from Carol and faced the girl.

"It's time to leave." She said with a grin.

"Okay." He said and was about to turn back towards Carol but Maggie stopped him, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him loudly on the cheek. He froze. "Augh! Damn it, girl." He grumbled.

Maggie pulled her face away and beamed up at him. "Be careful, 'kay? I might not get another chance to tell you that before we split up."

"Sure thing." He grumbled but he did pat her on the back which surprised her.

He took Carol's hand so Merle wouldn't have a chance too and they all headed into the same woods that Carol had taken with Allen and Tyreese. The first thing he noticed was how quiet the woods were. No sounds of birds or insects could be heard at all. It felt like the whole world had died. It wasn't the way the woods were suppose to sound. Merle seemed to notice too since he kept glancing around nervously. None of them had a clue what to expect and he had a feeling they were all expecting the worst. It wasn't such a smart thing to be optimistic about something like this. Expect the bad and you'll already be prepared for it. That was actually how he used to look at a lot of things. Everything really.

No Walkers were spotted for a long time. They were nearly there when they came upon a small group of them coming towards them from the direction of the town. Rick, Michonne and Merle disposed of them easily enough. When they got a little closer, however, that was not the case. Up ahead they could see more Walkers. A lot of them. Shambling and stumbling through the woods aimlessly.

"We could just try to break through them. We've done it before." Carol whispered at the others that were crouched behind her. Merle and Daryl were flanking her. Actually they were so close that she felt suffocated between their bodies.

Daryl snatched the binoculars out of her hands and glared at her. What the hell was wrong with this woman? Did she have a death wish? This was going to be harder than he thought. Keeping her alive. He looked up over her head and Merle was staring at her with that same annoyed look. He met Merles eyes and they both frowned. This was going to be hard.

"No we ain't breakin' through them. The hell are you thinkin'? Daryl snapped.

"One more time, Carol and I'm packin' your skinny ass back to the truck and tyin' it to the bumper." Merle snorted. "Break through them?" He shook his head in disgust.

"Well what the hell do the two of you suggest we do? Go back home and let someone else have Woodbury?" She snapped as she glanced between the brothers. "And scoot the hell over, both of you. I can hardly breath with the two of you right there on top of me. Don't think I don't know what you're doin'." She squeezed out from between them.

She crawled back to where Rick and his group were crouched a few yards back. Merle and Daryl watched her. She was whispering so they couldn't hear what she was saying but Rick kept glancing up at the two nervously.

"She's gonna be like this the whole time, ain't she?" Merle whispered as they backtracked to the rest of the group.

"Course she is. She's Carol. Damn woman can't listen to nobody. Too damn hardheaded." Daryl grumbled.

It looked to Daryl like Rick and Carol were arguing. She had that look. He'd seen it a thousand times and he could only guess what she was trying to talk Rick into. She was trying to switch teams. He felt his face pull down in a scowl.

"Carol, we can't do that. Maggie wont leave Glen and truth is, she's better with a gun. You're the best one that we have, other than Michonne, as far as blades go. You have to stay with Daryl and Merle."

"Screw that, Rick. They'll end up getting' killed because they are tryin' to babysit me. This ain't gonna work." She hissed.

She hadn't realized that the Dixon's were right behind them.

"Can't you just be glad that you have them to back you? When it comes to the Dixon's, I ain't got no pull. You go where they put you. I'm sorry Carol but I agree with them."

Daryl shared another look with his brother. He could just imagine the look she was giving Rick. By the sound of her low voice it was obvious she was furious. "You agree with this? With them treating me like a fucking invalid? Fuck you Rick!" She snapped as she backed away from him, and right into Merle.

"We ain't got time for your fits right now, Little Dixon. We gotta figure this shit out." He grumbled into her ear.

She pulled away from him and spun around, eyes flashing. "You two jackasses aren't tryin' to figure out anything other than how to keep an eye on me."

Michonne and Maggie were watching the exchange with grim faces and then they both walked to Carol, flanking her.

"She's right. We gotta keep our head in the game, boys. You keep this up and you're both gonna die today. And that ain't gonna do any of us any good." Maggie said as she crossed her arms and eyed them with a stern expression.

"I say Carol and I go first with Tyreese. We're faster than both of you. While the Walkers are after us you two can come in from the side, climb the fence while we fix the breach and then we go back to back. It gives us time to make it through, you time to get in, and Tyreese time to wire up that hole while Carol and I keep him clear. Then when you get to us we can go at it and kill as many as we can until we reach the storage building." Michonne looked like she expected them to argue.

"That's the dumbest idea I ever heard." Merle growled.

"He's right. That's stupid." Daryl agreed.

"No it ain't." Maggie whispered. "The Walkers wont be able to catch'em. It makes it safer for the two of you. It's a good plan."

Tyreese was standing off to the side. By the look on his face it was obvious that he liked Michonne's idea but he wasn't going to say anything to Merle and Daryl about it. He didn't have too. Michonne and Carol both looked at one another and then suddenly took off at a dead run. Tyreese caught up with them quickly, his years of playing football making him lighter on his feet than he looked.

"Mother fucker." Daryl hissed as he watched them go. "Rick, move out. Now!"

Merle and Daryl took off, not having any intentions of listening to Michonne's half cocked plan. But she was right about one thing. Those three were fast. There was no way that him and Merle would catch up with them.

"What do we do? Go ahead and climb over?" Merle panted as they ran.

Daryl grimaced. "Looks like that's the only choice we're gonna have. Every Walker out here is gonna be after those three. We wont be able to go in the way they did." Daryl pushed himself faster as they dodged trees and undergrowth. He felt sick. No matter how hard him and Merle tried to keep her safe he should have known she was gonna pull some crazy shit like this. And when this was over he planned on beating Michonne to death. He didn't care that she was a woman. He was going to hurt her and he was going to like doing it.

When they finally broke through the trees they were just in time to see Tyreese take out two Walkers and then slip through the hole in the fence. They both watched as Carol and Michonne were instantly surrounded by Walkers that were on the inside. Daryl's heart sank and his feet faltered.

"There's too damn many." He panted.

"She's okay, little brother. She's a fighter, don't you start fallin' apart just yet."

They picked up their pace once more and ran parallel to the fence. As soon as they were far enough away they both jumped, catching the top. Merle had to do it one handed which caused him to take longer. Daryl wasn't sure he was going to make it at all but a few seconds after he landed Merle landed next to him. They were off again, running straight ahead, towards the Walkers.

Almost all of the Walkers were turned away from then. Only a few noticed they were coming. Daryl and Merle both started killing like mad men. They could see that Tyreese was okay. He was taller than all of the Walkers that were there, towering over them all which made him easy to spot. He caught sight of them and gave a quick nod before he once more started stabbing Walkers with knives in both hands. They didn't see Carol or Michonne but Daryl couldn't let himself think about that right now. But he couldn't not think about it either. It was already there.

"Daryl!" Merle called but it was too late.

Daryl felt the thing grab hold of him from behind. It's fingers digging into his shirt. Felt it's cold skin graze the skin of his upper arm. And then, just when he thought it's teeth should sink into his flesh it's head fell at his feet. He jerked back and spun around. Michonne gave him a nod and then was off once more. Then he saw who was behind her.

Merle was to Daryl's right and Tyreese had made his way to them by now. The three men were back to back but the two women were further behind. Their backs too were pressed together and they seemed to be holding their own so the three men went on. Trying to clear out as many Walkers as they could as they made their slow progress to the storage building.

Merle yanked his arm away from a Walkers teeth, taking teeth with him. Lucky for him it had clamped down on metal instead of flesh. He kicked it away and then stabbed another through the eye. It went on like that for what felt like hours but was probably only minutes. A few times the women weren't in their sights which made both Dixon's nervous but they had no choice but to press on. Tyreese pulled a Walker away from Merle's back and slammed his huge boot down on the things head without missing a beat. Merle nodded a thanks and continued on with his own Walker slaying. There were more Walkers than they had expected and it was by nothing short of a miracle that none of them were dead or bitten yet but eventually the men found themselves backing up the steps to the storage building. Tyreese turned and with just two swift kicks to the door it banged open. He did a quick sweep and then came back, looking out the doorway.

Merle and Daryl were still killing. Daryl yanked his knife out of a Walkers forehead and kicked it down the stairs. More were coming. He risked glancing up, over the Walkers heads, and was met with quite a sight.

"Holy shit, Merle." He breathed and then pointed the bloody knife blade in the direction he was looking.

Merle looked up, his eyes wide. "I'll be damned."

"You boys seein' what I'm seein'?" Tyreese asked from behind them.

Michonne and Carol still stood back to back and were still pretty much surrounded. But the fact that they were surrounded didn't seem to faze them in the least. They seemed to be reading one anothers thoughts as they tried to kill as many Walkers as they could before they got to the building.

Carol was fast with the daggers that Michonne had given her. So fast that the only reason the men knew that she was actually making contact was the steady stream of bodies left in her wake. Michonne was just as lethal, just as fast. It was graceful and deadly like a macabre dance of the damned.

When more Walkers came towards the men they barely glanced at them as they killed them. It was hard to take their eyes off the women. All three of them knew that they were deadly men. Especially Merle, but none of them could deny how lethal these two women seemed to be when they were together. At one time Michonne actually spun all the way around with the swords long blade, causing Daryl to almost yell out a warning to Carol but he didn't need to. She seemed to have sensed the woman somehow and crouched down just as the blade took the heads off of four Walkers that had been almost on top of Carol. As Carol went down in her crouch she pivoted on her heels and ended up rising in the spot Michonne had just been standing.

"Jesus Christ." Tyreese breathed as they watched on.

"Wrap this shit up, ladies, we ain't got all day!" Daryl called after they had watched them for a while. He was so busy watching them that he didn't even think to go help them, which made him feel like an idiot.

Michonne and Carol both looked at one another, both grinning like lunatics, and rushed for the stairs. When they were finally all inside Daryl leaned against the door as Tyreese and Merle pushed over a heavy metal shelf to barricade it. There really wasn't very many Walkers left in the back after that stunt that Michonne and Carol had pulled but better safe than sorry. That didn't mean that more wouldn't come from around the front. It had taken them longer than necessary to get into the building, again, thanks to the two women.

"What the fuck was that all about?" Daryl hissed as he grabbed Carol roughly by the arm but when she turned around and he saw the pride in her face he decided against the yelling routine and hugged her to him tightly. This was what Merle and him were so worried about and now the hardest part was over. And as mad as he was at her for pulling the stunt she had pulled he had to admit that he was damn proud of her himself. He even had to give Michonne props. He'd never seen anything like them in his life. And he hoped he would never have to see that again.

She finally pulled away from him. "Okay, Dixon. I know it's comin'. Let's get it over with."

He leaned down until they were face to face, his only an inch from hers. "If you ever do something so stupid again, I'll beat you to death. This town ain't worth your life. Nothin' in this fucked up world is worth your life." He stood up straight then and let his eyes really take her in in the dim light. He hadn't wanted to admit it before but now that it was over he could admit it now, he hadn't expected her to survive this. Merle felt it too which only fueled that fear. But here she was. Just fine. The only thing on her was the blood from the Walkers.

"Is that it?" She asked looking quite surprised. "Just a little threat?"

He shrugged. Finally letting himself feel a little angry for what she had done, even if it had been a really good plan. "It really don't matter what I say to you. In the end you're just gonna do what you wanna do. What the fuck can I say about it, really?"

"I knew I'd be okay, Daryl. I'd have never done it if I didn't think I'd come through it at the end."

He nodded and then looked away. "Merle, show us the guns. We need to get this shit secure and our people off that damn wall."

Merle led them down a short but dark hallway. He pushed through some swinging double doors and when they followed him through it all four of them stopped in their tracks and gave a collective gasp. There were shelves creating passageways through the room. And every shelf held rows and rows of guns. It was something that none of them had ever imagined. Not in this world. And there weren't just guns but other weapons as well. Some things Daryl had only seen on T.V. Or in magazines or in his dreams. Lining the back wall were crates which Merle had explained also held guns and ammo. It was amazing.

"I think I found my house." Daryl whispered as he stared around in awe. No one could touch them now. They were safe with all this. And if Merle was right about this then he was right about the food and the fuel and the generators too. It was all true. He had been too afraid to trust his brother. And even after he had stopped being afraid to trust him he hadn't figured that the stuff would still be in the town. He had thought that it would be ransacked by now. But nothing was touched. At least not here.

"What'd I tell ya, baby brother." Merle smiled and gestured around the room. "Go on. Lets fill these bags up and get your buddies off that wall."

"This is incredible." Tyreese breathed as he started shoving guns and ammo into one of the large military style bags they had grabbed from the prison. They all had their hands full. Daryl was even snatching things they probably wouldn't need. When he came upon a bag in the corner he stopped in his tracks.

Something about it looked familiar. Not just the bag but the rifles stocks that were sticking out of it. Then he remembered where he had seen the guns and the bag before. Rick had given them to those Mexican's that had been taking care of those old folks in Atlanta. How the hell did they end up here? And then the answer hit him like a ton of bricks. He knew that all those boys and those old folks were long dead. That every gun in this room represented a life taken. They were stolen from people just like his group. Just like him. And all those people paid with their lives for having something that the Governor had wanted. Then he couldn't help but wonder to himself, how many of those men and women had died at the hands of his own brother. Merle had been found in Atlanta after he sawed off his hand. It was in Atlanta, that very same day, that they had met up with the people in that old folks home. People that were just trying their best to survive and keep the people they cared about alive.

Had the Governor showed up in Atlanta around the same time they were there? And did they find his brother before or after they took these guns from those men? And did Merle know what was going on? The questions swirled around his head, making him sick and half dizzy. Why did Merle have to be such a bad guy? Daryl liked to think that if their roles had been reversed that he would have still turned out okay. Not some murdering monster. He shook his head sadly. He couldn't even summon up the energy to feel mad about it. He mostly just felt disgusted.

"What's the hold up, little brother?" Merle asked as he came around the corner.

"Nothin'." Daryl snapped as he pushed his way past Merle and stormed towards the door where the others were waiting.

"That look on your face ain't nothin'. Whats the problem? We're almost done with this. It's been a good day." Merle said, as he stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, looking confused as he searched Daryl's eyes.

But Daryl wasn't getting into this. Not now. Maybe not ever. He didn't want to know about all the shit Merle had done over the past year. Didn't want to have to wonder about it so he just shook his head and pulled away once more. Merle let him go this time.

They had the guns ready when they pushed the shelf aside and opened the door. Clearing out the rest of the back wasn't hard as they hurried to another building with access to the roof. Michonne didn't seem as comfortable with a gun but she was a decent shot. Tyreese looked like a kid on Christmas. It wasn't long ago that him and his group didn't even have shelter, or guns. They made due with hammers and hatchets. Anything else they could find to use as a weapon. To them even the prison had seemed like heaven on earth. Daryl remembered that feeling. When him and Rick had discovered the prison it had been like the world had been lifted from both their shoulders. But now the prison was a reminder of the ones that they had lost. Lori seemed to be everywhere in the prison. T-dog seemed to be as well. Judith was a constant reminder to Maggie of her failure to save the woman.

Thinking of Maggie had Daryl once again thinking of Merle. Had he been telling the truth? But of course he had been because Daryl had seen how mad it had made Merle when Glen had looked at him like he wasn't the monster he wanted everyone to believe he was. Merle wouldn't have made up a story like that to fit in or to feel acceptance. He had saved Maggie's life. Even if he did almost kill Glen in the process, the one thing that none of them could ignore was the fact that Merle saved her. He could have insisted to the Governor that he could beat the location out of Glen without trying to keep Maggie away from James. Hell, they may have gotten the info they needed if James had gotten to Maggie while Merle was with Glen. But that isn't what Merle had suggested to the Governor. No, he had saved her. He just didn't want to admit it. Maybe he'd tell Carol about it some day but Daryl doubted he would tell anyone else. Man, how bad did a man have to be when he had to lie about his good deeds? Daryl couldn't keep the frown off his face as they busted through the doors to the roof and ran towards the edge.

Tyreese let out a triumphant whoop when he gazed down the street towards the gate. They had somehow gotten it shut and as far as he could see, they were all unharmed. Daryl grinned as Rick waved at them. It was a hell of a mess down there though. There were Walkers everywhere. This was going to be a stink fest by the time they were done. But none of them wasted any time dwelling on anything like that. They started shooting. The ones closest to the wall first. They were all decent shots, the Walkers were dropping fast.

Daryl let out a sigh of relief as he shot another one in the head. This was really going to work. In a few days when they had all the bodies carted off and burned they would have their town. It was almost to much to take in. Their luck had finally changed. Everything was falling into place like it was suppose to. Like it never had for them before.

It took a long time to kill off most of the Walkers. Everyone on the roof was exhausted. The rain had cooled everything down last night but today the humidity made it hard to even breath. Everyone was covered in sweat, skin reddening in the harsh Georgian sun. Daryl leaned his gun against the wall and fished for a water bottle in his bag as Ricks group climbed down and started making their way to the building they were on top of.

"I can't believe it." Tyreese said, joining him. "We really did it."

Daryl nodded, finally letting go of the stress he had been feeling all day. The hard part was over. Almost all of the Walkers were dead and none of his group were injured. "Seems that way." He said between long drinks of luke warm water.

When the rest of them rushed through the door Daryl expected them to all be wearing smiles that matched Tyrees's but that wasn't the case. Rick and Glen were both helping a bleeding Allen. Everyone's expressions were grim. The blood was coming from a wound in his side, soaking through the dingy white shirt he was wearing.

"What happened?" Tyreese breathed as Sasha threw herself into his arms.

"We were making our way over here and one wasn't dead. Grabbed a hold of him out of no where." Sasha sobbed into her brother's chest.

Daryl felt a hand slide into his. He looked down at Carol as she gazed at Allen. He wasn't sure what to make of her expression. She looked upset about what had happened to the man but there was something else there too. Something he couldn't place. He watched a bead of sweat travel down the side of her face and down her neck. He held out his water bottle and squeezed her hand. She looked up at him, her eyes wide and clear.

"Drink." He grunted.

She took the bottle from him but her eyes stayed on his.

"Let's get him into one of these apartments. At least make him more comfortable." Rick said as he turned and led the man back to the door. Allen was groaning as he tried to hold his side.

Everyone followed except for Carol. Daryl turned around before he disappeared through the doorway and gave her a quizzical look.

"You comin'?" He asked but she only shook her head. That strange look still haunting her eyes.

He glanced back but everyone was already down the stairs. She watched him approach her. "I think there's somethin' wrong with me." She said in a hushed voice.

His earlier fear for her hit him with such force that it nearly knocked him down. He felt her forehead. She was hot but not feverish. His eyes raked down her body but there were no obvious wounds. "What are you talkin' about?" He finally asked and when he met her eyes now, they were frantic.

"Allen got bit, Daryl. In the side. So he's gonna die today. May as well already be dead." She breathed.

He nodded unsure of what her point could be. He felt bad for the guy, even though he never particularly liked him. Felt bad for the kid when they went back to the prison and told him that his dad was gone. But there wasn't anything he could do about that.

"I've changed." She said, shaking her head.

"Carol, what are tryin' to say?" He asked patiently.

She shook her head again. "The only thing I felt when he came through the door was relief. I was almost glad it was him instead of one of our own. What the hell kind of person thinks like that?"

He wiped the sweat from her brow. "The kind of person who's lost too much."

She closed her eyes at his touch. "That's no excuse."

"Sure it is. Look at what we been through, woman. How else are you suppose to feel? Do you feel bad for his group and his son?"

Her eyes opened. "Of course I do."

He shrugged. "Then you ain't changed so much. You're allowed to put our group first, you know? Shit ain't like it used to be. You can't go around feelin' everybody's pain. You got enough of your own to deal with, just like I do. Rick, Glen, Maggie, Beth, Carl, Hershel. We all share the same pain, woman. It's ours. They ain't room for nobody elses. Eventually I'd say that Tyreese and his group, even Michonne, will become more than what they are now. But right now it's still us and them. Now, if I get myself eaten and you don't feel anything about that, then you can worry about where your moral compass is headed. Until then, feel bad for them and move the hell on."

After a few long minutes he watched as what he said sank in. She gave him a small smile and took his hand. "You're a smart man, Dixon. Anybody ever tell you that?"

He looked at her and snorted as he pulled her towards the stairs.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Allen was buried between the woods and the fence not far from the newly repaired hole. Tyreese and Sasha spoke of him fondly, even telling stories of their life together on the road. Tyreese hadn't let him turn. As soon as he stopped breathing they had taken him outside and he had shot him once in the head. Carol felt bad for the big man. He was a friend to her. Not like her group, not yet, but a friend non the less, and he was in pain. Daryl had been right. She knew that pain well.

Daryl didn't scowl at her for standing next to Tyreese during the service. He didn't frown when she held the mans hand. He didn't even glare at her when she hugged him after it was over, even though Tyreese had been reluctant to let her go. She wanted to comfort him. She wanted to make sure he didn't wallow in his loss, like she had done. Wanted him to know that she cared. It made her feel better about that feeling she had on the rooftop when she discovered it was Allen and not one of her own that had been bitten. It had scared her. She had grown a tough skin, but she didn't want to grow so hardened that she felt relief when someone other than her group lost their fight with the new world. That was wrong and it almost made her feel dirty.

"I need to go back to the prison." Tyreese said as they all returned to the building they had taken over earlier. "I need to be there to tell Ben. That boy has lost everything now." He shook his head sadly.

Rick nodded in agreement. "You and your sister go on back. I'll stay in your place. Maybe Glen and Maggie could stay too. We're gonna have to get this mess cleaned up as soon as we can. Do you think the two of you will be okay on the road?" He asked. "It looked pretty clear on the way in but you never know if all that noise is leading others here. We can send someone else with you if you want."

Sasha shook her head solemnly. "We'll be fine. You've all done enough. You've given us hope." She touched his arm. "With or without our whole group, we can't thank you enough for that."

Rick covered her hand with his own and nodded. "Whatever hope you have now was earned, Sasha. That didn't have a thing to do with the rest of us."

She didn't argue with him. Simply gave his arm a squeeze and back away.

"Wait." Merle said before they walked away. He was hurrying towards them, keys in his hand. "You ain't gotta go back into those woods. There's a Jeep bout a half block down from the gate. You get to it and it's yours." He tossed Tyreese the keys.

"You sure?" Sasha asked.

Merle just nodded.

Rick looked shocked at Merle's generosity but he didn't comment on it. Merle wasn't the type that wanted his good deeds pointed out."Tell the others to get everything packed up tonight. Anything they can find that we could use here needs to be loaded up. Leave out at first light. I don't like us being separated like this. And tell Ben how sorry we are."

Rick and Merle left with them so they could retrieve their vehicles from the hidden drive where they had parked them so they could get to work on moving out all those bodies.

Daryl made a face and then kicked at a body at his feet. "Guess we need to get these things stacked nice and neat so we can load'em up as soon as they get back. This is gonna take a while."

They didn't waste any time. They would soon loose the light and they knew it wasn't going to be as easy in the dark. And there was a greater risk of the same thing that happened to Allen happening to one of them if they couldn't see well. There were fire pits in the grassy area that separated the left and right sides of the road but that wasn't as good as the sunlight that they had now. By the time Rick and Merle were back they had three stacks of ten bodies. There had been more Walkers than they thought. The ground was still almost covered. They must have killed hundreds here. And there were still live ones wondering about in the distance.

"I think we've killed more here than we have since the very beginning. I can't believe how many bodies are out here." Carol grunted as she helped Maggie throw another body on another stack.

"I don't see how we can burn all these." Maggie grimaced. "Maybe burn a bunch every day. Hell even that might take weeks. This is a mess."

"Can you two ever just shut up and work?" Merle asked as him and Rick carried a body by. "Seems like you would get a lot more done if you stopped you're talkin'." He grinned.

"Shut it, Merle. Worry about your own stack-o-cadaver. Leave this one to us." Carol winked as they huffed on by.

They worked hard and eventually the sun started to go down. Merle went to feed the generators but they only planned on using electricity in the one building. They were all going to stay close and take shifts so the storage building could be looked after. They needed those guns almost more than they needed the food. They all agreed to take downstairs apartments, so they could get out quickly if something were to happen. Even though most of the Walkers were taken care of they weren't out of danger. They would never be out of danger. The more they had the more someone would end up wanting to take and this place was harder to secure than the prison had been.

Carol couldn't stop thinking about a hot shower. She was filthy and sweaty and smelled disgusting. They all did. Her and Daryl called the apartment that was closest to the door, thinking that they wouldn't be doing much sleeping anyway so it was better for them to be closest to the main entrance in case someone came into the building. Not that either of them said anything like that. But they were both thinking it. Rick, Merle and Michonne took the larger one across the hall and then Glen and Maggie took the one next to that. It felt strange for everyone to be going off on there own, even if they were all still going to be fairly close. They had gotten very used to being together. Usually within ear shot at least and most of the time they were all always in each others sights. Not only because they had to share a cell block but because it become second nature to keep a constant lookout for each other. That was how they had survived for as long as they had.

She hadn't wanted to touch anything until she was clean, and Daryl figured that it would save time and energy if they showered at the same time. That wasn't the case, however. The water had turned icy before they had stumbled out of the shower stall and made their way towards the bed. No, that hadn't saved them any time at all but neither of them were complaining. He didn't try to hide the scars anymore. He was now laying on his stomach with his arms shoved under the pillow, his head facing her. The sheet was pulled just up to his hips.

"Do you think there's anybody still alive?" She asked as she lightly traced the outline of the scar tissue that marred the otherwise perfect skin of his back.

He cracked open one eye and then shrugged. "If they don't show themselves tonight we'll find out eventually. We're searchin' all the buildin's tomorrow. This bed feels weird," He said distractedly.

"It's cause it's a bed." She laughed. "It feels weird to me too."

"Just as well. We can't lay around in bed all night anyway. We have first watch and we're late. You keep distractin' me. Gonna get us all killed." He grumbled as he got himself dressed.

"You're the one that busted in on me in the shower, jackass! You're the one that's distracting me." She pulled her shirt on without getting out of the bed. She rummaged through her bag for some pants.

"Hey, that's your fault. Believe me, that could have been a lot faster than it was. You're the one that said don't stop."

She flushed furiously and then grabbed a small figurine from the nightstand and threw it at his head. He ducked and slipped out of the room just as someone started pounding rudely on the door. She hurriedly got dressed in the spare clothes that she had thought to grab both of them at the last minute. She knew it was going to be a bloody day and the thought of being able to shower but then put their filthy clothes back on wasn't appealing to her. She'd actually expected to get dirtier than she had but that was okay. Her other clothes were disgusting. She made it to the living room just as Daryl was shutting the door.

"We have to take second watch. Rick and Merle said we took to long so we missed out on the first one. Best try to sleep. It's gonna be a long day tomorrow and we have to get back up in four hours for our shift. Told you that you were too damn distracting."

"Keep it up and I'll team up with Glen and make you spend four hours on watch with Maggie." She grinned.

"Truce. There ain't no way I could work with that girl. She's worse than you with her mouth." he grumbled.

"That ain't true. Maggie's the sweetest girl I've ever known other than her sister."

"Yeah, but just like you, she don't know how to shut the hell up."

She ignored the barb and pulled him back towards the bedroom by his shirt. She stifled a yawn but he had no true intentions of really letting her sleep. He had a whole lot of catching up to do.

Merle sat on the top step, his back pressed against the Storage buildings front door. It hadn't always been a storage building but that's what it had become after the Governor took over. He still wished the man was still alive. Payback was a bitch and he had wanted to make sure the man got what was coming to him. But there wasn't any sense in crying over spilled milk. He looked down the street, squinting his eyes to try to make out any sort of movement. Strained his ears for any sound. This was a damn boring job. He sighed to himself. He wished that Tyreese would have stayed so they could have even numbers. Rick was his partner right now but Rick had decided that it was a better idea for one to guard the front and the other to guard the back. Merle thought it was a stupid idea. Especially since the back could be barricaded from the inside so no one could break in without making a lot of noise. He would rather have Rick to talk to than to be by himself out here bored to death.

He sat there and listened to the quiet for so long that his ass started to go numb and he ran out of things to think about. He got up from the step and paced around the small grassy area in front of the building. He was trying to burn off all his nervous energy but there really wasn't anything to do. He decided to take off down the street and see if he could spot any Walkers to kill but then he stopped as soon as his foot touched the pavement. He needed to run that by Rick. He hated that. He was Merle Dixon and he was suppose to do whatever the fuck he wanted. He rolled his eyes and slipped around the side of the building.

"What do we have here?" He asked with a frown as he walked around the building and spotted Rick and Michonne talking quietly a few feet from the back steps. Now that wasn't fair at all. He was out front, bored out of his mind and lonely for conversation and here these two were out back just having a grand old time. He ground his teeth together.

"There any trouble around your side, Merle?" Rick asked ignoring his question.

"No. Ain't shit out there. I was plannin' on takin' a stroll down the street. See if I can't find me some Walkers or maybe a few live ones. We don't know of the whole town was wiped out or not. I'd rather not have'em sneakin' up on us in the dark." He wasn't asking permission but Rick nodded anyway.

"That sounds like a good idea as long as all is quiet on your end."

Merle just grunted and walked away. There were still a lot of bodies in the street as he made his way to the other end. He kept his steps light and listened carefully. There had to be something to do to kill time. He wished he could go wake up Carol and his brother. They were the only ones that didn't make him feel like a damn inconvenience. Well, Daryl did at times but he was coming around. Maggie too, she was a riot, always picking at Daryl. After his slip up in the kitchen when he told Glen about James she had been giving him doe eyed looks. Not that he minded, she was a looker. But he knew that wasn't what she was looking at him for. She thought he was a nice guy or some shit. He grunted out loud. Let'em all think what they wanted. He didn't much care anymore.

He stopped and crouched down amongst some dead Walkers when he heard a sound coming from further down the street. He was hoping it was someone alive. And hostile. Being able to fight would relieve all this boredom and bad mood. When the sounds grew closer he saw that it was nothing but a Walker. He was on it in an instant, knife driving into it's ugly eye socket.

He carried on, waiting and hoping for something exciting to happen. He was beginning to think about going and waking Carol and his brother up. If they were sleeping at all. Which he doubted.

Another sound caught his attention and he whipped his head around suddenly. On the porch of a nice Victorian style house were several Walkers. Maybe ten. He wasn't ready to have to try and battle through ten of them just to get into the house but he was definitely going to make it a point to tell everyone about it when he got back to the other side of town. There was a reason those things wanted in there. He turned and hurried back up the street towards the others.

Daryl was so close to finally dosing off. He couldn't get comfortable on the too soft bed. His body wasn't used to it. Hell, even before the end of the world he hadn't ever really had a bed. He usually slept on the couch of whatever rundown apartment that him and Merle were occupying at the time. Trying to sleep on lumpy cushions while hoping like hell one of the giant roaches didn't crawl into his mouth while he slept was what he had been used too. That and sleeping on the ground. The closest thing to a bed he'd ever owned was the stack of prison mattresses up on his perch. The only thing comfortable to him about the whole thing was the fact that Carol was halfway under him. His head was resting against her neck and his face was pressed into her collarbone. He smiled drowsily. She was just the right kind of uncomfortable, he'd sleep just fine.

She mumbled something in her sleep and found his hand, pulling it up next to her face. He drifted off thinking about her instead of giant roaches but was wretched back awake when someone banged on the bedroom door a few short times and then opened the door. Daryl sat up, making sure he didn't pull to much sheet with him since Carol hadn't bothered to put her clothes on... again.

"Merle, what the fuck? Don't you know how to knock?" He growled.

Merle flipped a switch and the room filled with light. Daryl squinted and Carol covered her face. Their eyes weren't used to artificial light, at least not this much. "I did knock. You didn't say anything so I came in. I got some manners, asshole."

"If no one answers you it means to go away Merle. Not to come in." Carol said as she tried to get her eyes to adjust to the light.

"Here," Merle started picking up their clothes off the floor and throwing them at them one piece at a time. Get dressed and come check this out with us. Officer Friendly's orders little brother."

"It ain't our damn turn yet, Merle. Go check it out yourself." Daryl grumbled.

Merle put his hands on his hips and glared at them. Then, in true Merle fashion he grabbed the corner of the sheet and gave it a hard yank. Carol was barely able to keep herself covered. "Goddamn it, Merle! What's wrong with you?" She yelled as she yanked the sheet back up.

"Think there may be some live ones down the street in one of the bigger houses." Merle said, he couldn't hide his grin.

This got Daryl's attention. "Why do you think that? Did you see anybody?"

"Just a bunch of Walkers tryin' to get in. Makes me wonder if they were followin' someone." Why that house and not the one next to it?"

"Get out Merle. We'll be out in a few minutes." Daryl said in a hurry. "Go, quit starin' asshole. You ain't gonna see nothin'." He shook his head.

Finally Merle left the room, shutting the door behind him.

"So, what are my chances of you stayin' here while I check that out?" He asked as he buttoned his shirt and then crawled across the bed and kissed her hard on the mouth. She hadn't even started dressing yet.

She pulled him down with her on the bed and smiled against his lips. "Pretty high actually. You make me all weak kneed, Dixon. I ain't used to all that." She kissed him again, threading her fingers through his hair. "I actually wanna sleep."

He forgot what he was suppose to be doing as his focus honed in on her and that all consuming hunger that she had ignited in him the night before overwhelmed him. He needed her again. It didn't matter that there was shit to do, didn't matter that Merle was waiting in the other room, didn't matter that he'd already had her twice in a matter of hours.

"Goddamn it, Daryl! We need to go. Now! There's plenty of time for all that later. Put your damn shirt back on!" Merle eyed Carol who was under Daryl but still covered up with the sheet. "What did you do to him? You're an evil thing." He shook his head and slammed the door.

"When did I take this off?" He asked out loud, not meaning too as he picked up the shirt. He'd apparently just pulled it off over his head cause it was still buttoned. Carol just shrugged and laughed at him. At least he hadn't taken off his pants without knowing it.

He bent down and kissed her on the forehead, not trusting her mouth anymore, and hurried to the door, grabbing a rifle on the way out. "Get some sleep. I'll wake you up for watch in a few hours." He said as he flipped the light off and closed the door quietly.

Merle was sitting on the couch, looking pissed off as usual. "I don't wanna hear it," He grumbled as Merle opened his mouth to say something.

To his surprise Merle did close his mouth. They met the others in front of the building. Michonne had volunteered to watch the apartments and the storage building while the men went and checked on the house.

"What the hell took you guys so long?" Rick said irritably.

"Talk to him." Merle threw Daryl a look. "He's a nympho or somethin'."

"Shut up Merle." Daryl whispered as they neared the house.

Sure enough there were Walkers on the wide porch clawing at the heavy wooden door. The good thing about houses that old was that they were built to last, unlike most houses now days. Those Walkers wouldn't be getting into that house anytime soon. Not unless they went through a window.

The men wasted little time. They cleared off the porch, kicking the bodies out into the yard. The door was locked but that didn't mean a whole lot. Merle and Daryl took turns kicking it until it finally gave and slammed against the wall.

They went in swift and searched the downstairs. The back door was wide open, indicating either whoever was hiding in the house escaped out the back thinking that Daryl and the others would hurt them or they were running because they were the guys Michonne had warned them all about. But Daryl didn't think that was the case. Those men would go straight for the guns if they found their way back to Woodbury, if they were out there at all. It was Andrea who told them that the men were out there somewhere and Daryl didn't believe a word Andrea said.

"Whoever it was, they bailed." Merle said quietly.

"Who do you think it was? Maybe the people that lived here?"Rick asked.

"I don't even really know who lived here to be honest. The Governor had a place for us and a place for his citizens. We didn't cross paths a whole lot."

Daryl took his gun and did a check of the upstairs just in case. The house was empty. There was quite a bit of blood on the floor in the kitchen but it was hard to say if it came from a wondering Walker or if it was from a person.

"We should just get on back." Daryl said quietly. "Wait for the others to get here in the mornin' and then tear this place apart. Somebody's here, and I intend to find out who they are."

They made sure the doors were secure and then took off back towards the buildings in the center of town. Daryl was feeling all nervous again. This place was too damn big. They didn't have enough people to secure it and make it safe. He wasn't a fan of coming to Woodbury in the first place. Now he thought that maybe they should just take everything they wanted from the town and go back home. But he knew no one would agree to anything like that. Truth was, he was afraid that they were going to get soft here. Get all comfortable and then boom, something major was going to slap them in the face and they were all going to end up dead.

He wanted to talk to Carol about it. She would tell him whether or not he was just freaking out for no reason. And then she would talk some sense into him and make him feel like a dumb ass for ever worrying to begin with. That was what they did. When he got to the room they were using for the night his hand hesitated on the doorknob. What if he opened it and she wasn't there? What if, while they were checking out that house, someone came in here and did something? He shook his head. He was delusional. He needed to sleep. He hadn't had much rest in a long time. Probably since before Carol had turned up missing.

He opened the door and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the small mound she made curled up in the middle of the bed. He was extra quiet as he stripped down to his pants. and eased in next to her. After that he didn't have much trouble getting to sleep. He fell asleep fast and slept like he hadn't in a long time. Maybe the too soft bed wasn't such a bad thing after all.

Carol had woke up a while before dawn. No one had came to wake either of them for their watch shift. She felt more rested than she had in longer than she could remember. Daryl was still asleep. Rick and Michonne were outside and Merle sat at the kitchen table, waiting on breakfast. It all seemed very domestic. Rick and Michonne would come up after the others came. She had offered to take Ricks place but he had shooed her away and insisted she cook them something since the refrigerators were stocked with actual food. There was even a coffee pot. It was the most beautiful thing Carol had seen in a long long time. She was filling up the back when Merle looked up from the magazine he had found to flip through.

"Carol?" He asked as she turned around and plugged in the waffle iron.

"Hmmm?" Was her only response. The smell of the coffee brewing had her head spinning. She could really get used to this.

"The hell's goin' on? Nobody woke us up for watch?" Daryl asked from the bedroom door. His hair was sticking up at odd angles and his shirt was hanging open. He rubbed his eyes and looked very much like a little boy. "Holy shit, is that bacon?"

Carol laughed as he sat down heavily in the chair across from Merle.

Daryl turned to him. "Well? Wasn't you about to ask her somethin'?" He asked his brother.

"Forgot what it was now." Merle grumbled.

Maggie and Glen came in then, timidly sticking their heads in the door. "Carol, am I smellin' bacon and coffee?" Maggie asked in her wide eyed way.

"And waffles." Carol laughed as they barged in.

"Daryl, I like your hair like that." Maggie said as Carol sat down cups of steaming coffee in front of everybody.

"Oh. My. God." Glen breathed as he inhaled the strong brew.

Maggie was spooning sugar and cream into her cup. Merle and Daryl made a face. "You're ruinin' it, Maggie. It's gonna be syrup by the time you get done." Daryl admonished.

"This is how I like it, Daryl. Mind your own business." She grumbled as he continued to make faces at her cup.

Glen and Merle laughed at them until Carol put food in front of their faces. She'd never seen grown people act that way in her life. There were no manners, everyone grabbing this and that. Maggie even stole the bacon from Merle's plate and he nearly wailed like Judith until Carol gave him more. Maggie laughed at him as she split her loot with Daryl. Glen guarded his food with his arm, nearly glaring at anyone who looked at his plate too long. Carol leaned against the counter and watched them. She was just glad to get the coffee. She wasn't about to fight the others for the food.

Daryl looked over at her and then down at his plate. Finally he got up and stood next to her, leaning into the counter with his feet crossed at the ankles. He held out his food.

"No thanks." She shook her head. She was having too much fun watching them.

"You gotta eat somethin'." He grumbled. Clearly he didn't want to give up his food but he would if she wanted it. She was actually pretty touched. "You're sweet, Dixon. Now go eat."

He ate but he stood right there with her watching Maggie torment Merle. Even Glen was having a good time. Daryl shook his head.

"Just like a bunch of damn kids." he grumbled around a mouth full of food.

"Says the guy that ate Merle's bacon when the kid sister of the bunch stole it from him?" Carol arched an eyebrow.

"I didn't know it belonged to Merle. I thought Maggie was just sharin'." He smiled innocently.

"You two nearly made poor Merle cry." Carol tried to hide her smile but she couldn't.

"Merle's a big baby. He'd have gotten over it." Daryl whispered as Merle turned to glare at him.

"The hell are you two back there whisperin' about?" He grumbled.

"Nothin'." Carol tried to give him a convincing smile. She didn't think it was working very well.

Rick and Michonne came in then. The prison group was starting on the clean up, which is something her and Daryl needed to help with since they had done nothing else last night. Nothing helpful to the group anyway.

"Rick, why didn't anyone come get us last night for our watch?" She asked.

Rick and Merle shared a look before Rick answered. "Because you both act like you are machines. Like you don't need food or water or rest. So we figured we would make sure than you got what you needed last night, as far as resting went anyway."

"Oh, Daryl got what he needed all right. Tried to get it again while I was right there in the next room." Merle grumbled.

"Merle!" Carol snapped but it was too late. Everyone was laughing at them.

After she made sure everyone had eaten enough her and Daryl left the apartment with Glen and Maggie. Rick, Michonne and Merle were going to take Carl and Ben and get started on searching the buildings while the rest of them were on body duty. Carol didn't mind it although she did wish like hell that it didn't stink so bad. It was going to be another hot day and it wasn't helping with the smell. But at least she could work knowing that she could shower later. That helped more than anyone could imagine.

Axel was a big help also which surprised her. But it shouldn't have. He was quick to get on her nerves with his persistence but every since her and Daryl became... whatever her and Daryl were, he backed off.

There was a clinic, a real one, a few buildings down from the one they all stayed in and Carol hadn't been able to wait to show Hershel. There was an exam room stocked full of supplies. A real hospital bed and even a two bedroom apartment tucked in the back past the waiting room and exam room. Beth had Judith there while Hershel took inventory. It was like Christmas morning for the old man.

By mid afternoon they had a lot of the bodies moved out. It was a relief to see the progress. Carol wiped the sweat off her brow with the back of her hand and stood back with Maggie to examine their work.

"You know, I'd really like to know how all these things got in here just from that little hole." Maggie mused as she played with the cap on her water bottle.

"Well, the gate was left open too, I'm sure that's where most of them came in from." Carol muttered.

Maggie shook her head. "No. Andrea said it was completely overrun by the time she woke up on that roof. That was before the gates were opened. Do you think the men are right? That someone led those things in?"

"I suppose that could have happened. But where are the people that led them here?"

"That's what I've been wanderin'. What if they're here? Just waitin' for us to let our guard down?" Maggie said worriedly.

Carol put her hand on Maggie's shoulder and looked her in the eye. "Maggie, when have we ever let our guard down? We are strong. Stronger now with Tyreese and Michonne. I feel bad for the person stupid enough to even try to mess with this group." She smiled as she saw some of the worry leave Maggie's face.

"Do you think we can live in those houses or should we stay close in the apartments?" Maggie gazed longingly down the street and then she frowned. "Somethin's happened." She pointed.

Merle was storming towards them like an enraged bull. His face was red and he was glaring. When he saw Carol he broke into a run. She ran to meet him halfway.

"Merle? What's happened? Everything okay?" Carol asked frantically.

"Where is Daryl?" Merle roared.

Carol looked behind her. Daryl and Axel had just parked the truck to be loaded again. He jumped down from the drivers seat and looked over at Carol and his brother. Merle's face must have tipped him off that something was wrong.

"You two have to help me. You have to. Rick and Michonne are fuckin' crazy!" He was talking so fast it was almost hard to understand him.

"Slow down and tell us what's happened, Merle." Carol said, taking his hand and trying to comfort him.

"You just have to come with me. Everybody, they want everybody." Merle said as he shook his head back and forth.

Carol nodded and without another word she headed back down the street with Merle. Daryl whistled loudly and motioned for the rest of them to follow him.

Merle stopped so fast that he had to pull Carol back so she could face him. They were a little ways ahead of the rest of the group. Daryl gave him a nervous look. "What's goin' on, Merle?" He asked his brother.

Merle looked from his brother to Carol and then back again. "You to are the real thing, right? You ain't just messin' around to fill the time and get your rocks off, right? Ya'll are all in love or whatever?"

Daryl frowned and glanced over at Carol. They hadn't really talked about any of this and it wasn't something that either of them wanted to discuss with Merle. Merle's face was turning a strange shade of red again.

"Just answer me! Damn it, you two, please. Ya'll plan on bein' together till you're dead, right? Like, like a married couple or somethin'? It's true, ain't it? Ya'll plan on livin' together and bein' like a family, right?"

"Merle, what the fuck's wrong with you? What happened?" Daryl was studying Merle like he'd lost his mind and then his eyes narrowed. "Damn it, Merle! You're high as a kite ain't you? You found some pills somewhere and now you're freakin' out."

Merle looked at Daryl like he was the crazy one. "No, you dumb shit!" Merle threw his hands up in the air and turned down the walkway leading to the porch steps of the big house they were standing in front of. "Just follow me. I'll show ya."

Everyone else had caught up with them by now. Carol was worried about Merle. Maybe he really did find some drugs. That's the only thing she could think of. Why else would he be acting so insane?


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry about the cliffhanger guys! Just so you know, if I ever end a chapter like that I promise to post the next chapter the very next day. I wouldn't be cruel. Again, thank's for the reviews... even though most of you were yelling at me this time ;) Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter Twelve

Daryl was right behind Merle as they entered the house. The front door opened into a foyer, there was a staircase on the left wall right across from the front door, then a hallway that led further into the house. There were doorways on each side of the hall but Merle turned to the right and stepped into, what looked like, a large living room. Michonne was sitting on the arm of an overstuffed sofa. Next to her was Rick.

Daryl and Merle stopped short, Carol smacked right into the back of them. When she squeezed between them she froze just like they had. Sitting next to Rick was a little girl. She looked to be about three or four. Her dark hair fell in rings down her shoulders and her eyes were a deep green. She looked afraid as Rick tried to talk to her.

"Them assholes said that since I found her that I had to take care of her. Me! I don't know how to take care of no kid! I'm a criminal, goddamn it! A murderer! I'm a bad bad man for fucks sake. They can't make me do that. I can't do that. I ain't fit to raise no damn kids! But you two can. You'd make good parents, but not me. I can be an uncle, I can't be nobody's daddy. I just cant."

Merle was about to go into hysterics again so Carol put a hand on his arm. "Calm down, Merle. We'll figure something out. You wont have to take care of her if you don't want too."

"Has she said anything?" Daryl asked. He hadn't missed the fact that now everyone in the room, other than the girl, was staring at him. Damn it Merle. He wished Merle hadn't said any crazy shit like that. What would Carol think? He wasn't fit to take care of a kid any more than Merle was.

Rick looked up. "Not yet. I've asked her her name and how old she is but she just wont answer. She wont answer me, anyway. I think she's in shock. She was hiding in a closet when Merle found her. There were Walkers tryin' to get at her. She ain't said anything to us since Merle pulled her out. I think we should take her to Hershel. He could tell us what was wrong with her."

Daryl took a step towards the girl, he heard the rest of the group enter behind him. Rick got up and was talking to Maggie and Glen and the others. Daryl just kept putting one foot in front of the other. He felt bad for the girl. Being alone in a closet with monsters trying to break the door down. She just kept staring off into space as he watched her. He had stopped again, afraid of getting too close and scaring her. He could still feel eyes on him. He wished they'd just leave him be. If he could get this kid out of her daze he didn't want a damn audience.

"Daryl?" Rick asked. "You're usually good with Judith. If any of us can get her to come around then it's probably you."

Daryl sighed and then knelt down on the floor about a foot from the girl. He was aware of the silence in the room. Which meant everybody was still staring at him. And that was making him nervous. "Why the fuck ya'll gotta stare at me for? You talk to the kid your damn selves." He grumbled.

"Daryl! Watch your mouth!" Carol admonished.

"Assholes." He grumbled under his breath, but someone heard him. When he looked up there was a pair of very green eyes staring right at him. He stared right back for a long moment. "What's your name?" He asked in a softer voice than he had used with the others.

"Kenzey." She said, looking around warily and then resting her eyes on his once more.

He nodded. "I'm Daryl. These people behind me here, well, they're all assholes, but they're okay."

It worked. She cracked a smile and then it grew wider when she realized that everyone was looking at Daryl disapprovingly. "You're gonna get in trouble if you don't quit cussin, mister." She whispered.

"I'm used to it." He flashed her a smile of his own. "There's a doctor down the street. You think me and you could take a walk up there so he can make sure you're okay?"

Her eyes grew impossibly wide and she shook her head slowly. "There's monsters out there. If we go out then they can get us." She sounded so afraid that it actually made him angry. Angry that somebody so young would have to worry about things like that. But monsters were real now and that was something they all had to learn for themselves.

He brought his face closer to hers and looked at her intently, "You ain't gotta worry about them anymore." He whispered.

"Why not?" She whispered back.

"Cause I killed'em all." He wasn't sure if he should have said that too her but it seemed to help. She threw herself off the couch and into him. She nearly knocked him off balance but he caught himself and picked her up.

She put a small hand to the side of his face and turned his head so he wasn't able to look at anything but her. "They killed my momma, didn't they?" She asked, her tiny voice sounding very wise. "And my dad?"

He glanced up at the group of people watching him. They all looked on the verge of tears but none of them gave him a clue as to what to tell her. He looked back at her. "I don't know." And he didn't. As far as he knew they could have panicked and left the little girl. Or they could have been Walker lunch. He wasn't going to lie to the kid though.

"Daryl, maybe we should bring Hershel here. It's still a mess out there and maybe she don't need to see that." Carol said quietly.

The girl studied Carol much like she had him. Then finally she shook her head. "I want to go with him."

Carol and the rest of them just stared on as he walked out the door. He was glad to be outside, mess or not. Why the hell was everybody looking at him like that? He took off down the sidewalk and then suddenly the girl put her hand to his face again, demanding his attention.

"Did you kill all these?" She asked. She seemed to be more impressed than afraid. She was tough one.

He looked around. Tough or not, Carol had probably been right. He was used to this, bodies and carnage, but she was just a little girl. A sheltered little girl. He had just wanted out of the house where everyone was staring at him. "Me and the others killed them all." He corrected.

She nodded and glanced around. "There was a lot. My momma has to be dead. I heard her cryin'."

Daryl picked up his pace and tried to change the subject. "How old are you, Kenzey?" He asked.

She held up her hand and then tucked her thumb down into her palm.

"Four, huh?" He said thoughtfully. "That's pretty old."

He got a laugh out of her with that one. "Four ain't old."

"The doctor I was tellin' you about, now he's old." Daryl said with a wink. He liked this kid. He wasn't sure about kids in general but this one seemed to be okay. He was used to Judith and he was used to Carl but this little thing was a lot different than either of them. Judith was a baby and Carl was a teenager. Both were worlds away from this kid.

"Where are all the other men at?" She suddenly asked as he was about to open the doors to the clinic.

He froze. "What men? When did you see other men?" He asked as he knelt and sat her down in front of him.

"I saw them before all the guns went off." She said in a hushed tone that matched his own.

He placed his hands on her small shoulders and forced her to look at him. "Are you sure they were men and not the monsters?" He asked. "Sometimes the monsters look like men."

She shook her head, her eyes wide. "These were men with guns. I thought they were the ones shooting."

"Had you ever seen these men before? Were they men that lived here?" His stomach was sinking.

She shook her head. "I've only seen the metal armed man. I think his name is Merle. I think everybody else is dead."

"That's right. His name is Merle." He whispered as he glanced around nervously. Those men could be anywhere right now. Watching them. Waiting for them to mess up and then start picking them off one by one.

"Can we go inside now?" Kenzey asked.

He nodded. "Sure thing kid." He held her hand as they stepped into the clinic. They were greeted by Hershel and Beth. Daryl gave Hershel the rundown.

"You think we're in danger?" Hershel asked quietly as he stood by the counter in the waiting room. Kenzey was instantly interested in Beth, smiling shyly as Beth leaned down so the kid could get a look at Judith.

"When are we not in danger, Hershel? This is a problem. I real big one too. I wish we could just ransack this place and move on back to the prison. It was safer. Easier to secure. I feel like a sittin' duck in this damn town."

"What are we gonna do about the little girl?" Hershel asked as he looked over at Beth and the kid with a small smile. "Have you all decided on who's gonna look after her?"

Daryl glanced behind him and then towards the door. "Nope."

"Have you thought about talkin' to Carol about it?" Hershel asked.

Daryl gaped at him. "She don't need a replacement daughter, Hershel." He snapped.

Hershel's gaze didn't waver. Stubborn old man. "No, she don't. But I see too people that love one another and could easily give that girl a family." Hershel said quietly.

"What the hell is it with you people? Maggie and Glen could offer that kid the same thing. Hell, Tyreese and his sister could too, you and Beth. The kids one of us now, that's all the family she needs. I didn't come here to play daddy, Hershel. I came here cause that's what everybody else chose to do." Daryl wasn't sure why he was taking out all his frustrations on Hershel. But he meant what he said. He wasn't going to get anymore involved with that kid than he already had.

He glanced back at Beth as he reached the door. "You mind, Beth? I gotta tell the others what this runt here just told me." See, now he was having to talk people into babysitting already.

"Sure thing, Daryl. Take your time." She smiled.

Daryl nodded and then went to push through the door when he felt a tug on his pants leg. He looked down and there the kid was, looking up at him with those big green eyes that were just now growing wet with tears. He instantly dropped to one knee. "What's wrong?" He asked quietly, catching the wetness with the pad of his thumb as it overflowed. Then he cursed himself for doing that.

The girl glanced back towards Hershel and Beth. "Are you comin' back to get me?" She whispered.

"Somebody'll come for ya. You ain't gotta worry about that." He assured her.

"That ain't what I asked. I don't want one of your asshole friends to come get me, I want you too." She said stubbornly.

Oh Lord. He tried to hide his smile but he couldn't. She'd just called them all assholes and she was only four. That was the funniest thing he'd heard all day. She took his smile as a sign of him agreeing and then threw her arms around his neck. He couldn't help but glance up at Hershel and Beth as they stood there smiling at the spectacle like a couple of jackasses. He sighed and then hugged the kid back.

This wasn't going to be easy. Why did today have to turn into a bad episode of the twilight zone? Lucky for the kid he wasn't some crazed child killer. She was acting like she knew him. He'd just met her. He knew he didn't look friendly, and he didn't have the greatest attitude. No kid in their right head would want to spend anymore time with him than they had too. The same went for women, he just lucked up and found him one that had been hiding a whole new brand of crazy.

He pushed the girl away gently and then mused her hair. She laughed. The least he could do was come back for her. He felt bad. The poor thing had had a rough couple days. If she wanted him to be the one to come get her then that's what he would do. This time. "I'll be back later for ya, runt." He grumbled and hurriedly slipped out the door.

He kept looking over his shoulder as he hurried down the street. He felt eyes on him the whole time. When he finally made it to the big house that he had left the others in he was really freaking himself out. He took the porch steps two at a time.

"How is she?" Carol asked as soon as he stepped into the living room.

"Fine as far as I know. Stubborn as shit but okay." He grumbled. "She did have somethin interestin' for me though." He paused until he knew he had everyone's attention. Even Ben and Carl were here now. "She saw men yesterday. Not us either. Other men. And she said they were armed."

"Did she say how many?" Rick asked as he glanced anxiously out the window.

"She's four, Rick. She probably can't even count yet. But it don't matter. I think we should load up the guns and the other supplies and get our asses back to the prison where we belong. There ain't enough of us to keep this place safe. Those men are probably here somewhere, hidin' out until we let our guard down."

"Allen died trying to get this town. We can't leave now. He would have died for nothing." Sasha said as she frowned at him.

"And you think his death wouldn't be in vain if we all ended up dead along with him?" Daryl snapped.

Rick held up a hand. "That isn't gonna happen, Daryl. There's more of us now. We can secure this place just fine. If there are men out there waiting for us to let our guard down then lets make'em wait for ever. Daryl, we're too strong to run."

"No, we're just to fuckin' stupid, Rick. There's a difference." Daryl said. His eyes flashed angrily, daring anyone to argue.

"Daryl, this is a good thing here. What's the problem. You know we can secure this place. Just like we did the prison." Rick said, trying to placate him.

"It was a prison, Rick. All we had to do was clean out the dead and lock a few doors. And even that didn't work all the time. What the hell do you think is gonna happen here?" He spat.

"Daryl, I thought you wanted this place just as much as everybody else did." Rick said calmly.

"Really?" Daryl shook his head. "I was against it from the get go. Ask my brother. Ask Carol. And when we're buryin' our dead, don't come lookin' to me for pity." He turned then and was about to go out the door when he felt a firm hand on his arm. When he turned he was surprised to see that it was Carol and not Rick.

"What's goin' on, Daryl? I thought things were better since we finally got here."

"That was until I just found out that there's already threats inside the town. And our fearless leader is too fuckin' stupid to do a damn thing about it."

He stormed out the door and slammed it behind him. He heard it open right away.

"Wait!" He heard Carol call.

He spun around, ready to lay into her about never just leaving him alone until he realized what she was holding. His crossbow. He almost smiled but it was like he couldn't work those muscles in his face. "Where'd you find it?" He asked.

She shrugged. "Carl found it while he was searchin' one of the buildin's. Thought it might make you feel better to have it. It's like a limb to you."

He took it from her. It felt good on his back. Much better than the rifle did. He handed her her gun. "Then you can have the rifle back. It's yours anyway."

She took it gladly. "You know, all those new guns are pretty and all but I just think me and this thing were meant to be together. It's the one you taught me how to use so it's kind of sentimental."

"And I made you that strap so it wasn't hangin' off that skinny frame of yours." He found the grin that had been eluding him as he hooked his finger through the leather rifle strap and pulled her towards him.

"You know," She said as she wrapped her arms around his neck, "If you really wanted to stay at the prison, Rick would give us some guns and supplies, enough to last a long time most likely. If that's what you really want then we can go. I don't need this town, I just kinda need you."

"Kinda?" He arched an eyebrow and smiled but then his face grew serious as he pulled back and looked at her. "You would, wouldn't you? You'd give up all of this to crawl back into that prison and live like a rat with me."

"That prison was our home. I'd miss everybody, but yeah, if that's what it takes to make you happy then I'd do it. Of course Merle would go too so it would just be the three of us all the time and you know how he gets lonely and he don't like the quiet, it'd be interesting." She laughed.

"I think I'll just take my chances here for now. But I'm serious. One thing happens, as long as it don't kill us, we are out. I know this is where you wanna be so I'll stay. But I still think it's dangerous."

"What are we gonna do about the girl, Daryl?" She asked quietly, knowing he was going to get upset all over again.

"I don't know. She ain't our problem." He grumbled.

"Daryl, you don't mean that."

"What are we suppose to do, Carol?"

"It's more like what are you gonna do. She didn't choose me, she chose you. And you really need to think about what you are going to do about that. She's a little girl that's lost everything. You best keep that in mind."

"You wanna keep her?" He asked suddenly, grip tightening on her waist. "You really wanna be responsible for someones life?"

"Is that why you don't want her?" Carol asked.

He let go of her suddenly and took a step back. "I'm gonna go load the truck. Send Merle out to help me. We ain't got time to stand around and talk about things that don't matter."

"So, that little girl don't matter?" Carol asked incredulously.

"Not to me." He said and then turned on his heel and stormed off down the street towards the gate. He knew Carol was pissed now. He really didn't blame her but he wasn't doing this. He wasn't going to take on the responsibility of some kid that didn't even belong to him. He'd already been down that road and it was a painful one that he wasn't about to go down again. He had taken responsibility for Sophia. Had convinced Carol that he could bring her back. Had almost killed himself hunting for her and in the end the girl was dead. Had been dead for a while and he was out there every day hunting down a dream. And that dream shattered when he saw the girl step out of that barn. Dead already.

No, he had learned his lesson. He didn't need some kid depending on him. That girl would be just fine. He never had anyone growing up, neither had Merle and they could be worse. They both could fend for themselves and didn't need nobody. He wouldn't ever put himself in a position where Carol could look at him like she had that day on the farm. Like he had failed. Like he had built up this huge wall of hope for her and then crushed it as she watched.

He shook his head as he picked up his pace. He wanted those memories out of his head. He didn't like to think about Sophia or what he couldn't do for the girl. He had searched for her like she was his. And failed just like a Dixon always would.

He heard footsteps coming up behind him and he turned, crossbow ready.

Merle put his hands up and eyed Daryl warily. "Easy, little brother. You're awfully jumpy this afternoon. You wanna put that thing down and tell me what the problem is?"

Daryl spun back around and took off towards the bodies and gate once more. "Ain't nothin' to talk about." He growled angrily.

"That ain't what your woman said." Merle trotted along next to him.

"Well, that's cause my woman talks to damn much."

"She's worried about you." Merle said firmly.

Daryl stopped and instantly picked up a skinny cadaver and eyed Merle skeptically. "She ain't worried, she's pissed off. There's a difference. I know Carol. She's gotta temper worse than ours." He heaved the body onto the bed of the truck.

Merle followed his lead. "Well, yeah, she's pissed. But she has every reason to be, you know."

"Nope. I don't know, Merle, but I'm sure your gonna tell me all about it."

"You've got her stumped over that little girl is all. All you gotta do is tell her you changed your mind and then all is right with the world again." He grinned like he had actually solved all Daryl's problems. Daryl wanted to knock his teeth out.

"We talkin' about that same little girl you was throwin' a fit over not raisin' as your own?" Daryl glared as he picked up the top half of a fat Walker while Merle got its legs.

Merle snorted. "That's different, dummy. You ain't me. Ain't like me not a bit. You got yourself a good head on your shoulders. You got Carol around to keep you from fuckin' up. You got a lot to give. Besides at the rate ya'll go at it you'll end up with four or five of your own." Merle laughed at his own joke. He didn't notice that Daryl had gone very still.

Daryl wasn't listening to Merle anymore. In his head he was listening to Ricks broken sobs when he found out that Lori hadn't made it. Seeing Carl's face as he held the gun in his hand that he had just used to shoot his own mom in the head. Heard the sounds of Judith as she wailed in hunger when they had waited too long to go on a run. He remembered thinking about how stupid Rick and Shane had been. How careless and selfish. Daryl had never gotten how they could have been dumb enough to knock someone up during the end of the world. It didn't matter which one of them did it. They were both to blame since neither one of them had thought to use anything. Daryl's heart started pounding hard in his chest, faster than it should have been beating.

"Hey, you okay over there, little brother? You're lookin' pretty pale. You gonna puke or somethin'?"

He kinda did feel like he was going to puke. Three times. They had managed to have sex three times in two days. And not one time did he think about using anything. He was just as stupid as Rick and Shane. And why the fuck hadn't she said anything? Was she insane?

"Daryl?" He heard her voice behind him and he spun around, face blazing. He must have been a sight too cause she backed up a good five steps and Merle even intercepted him.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Daryl?" Merle barked.

"We need to talk. Alone." He said through clenched teeth. He didn't know why he was so mad at her. But he was furious. He swore then that he was never gonna touch her again. It was too damn risky and her life wasn't worth a good time. A really really good time. He shook his head. Merle was right, there was something wrong with him.

"You need to calm the fuck down before you go anywhere with her alone." Merle said, glaring.

"It's okay Merle." Carol said as she walked past him. "Go stack some Walkers over there. If he tries to beat the hell out of me you can see from there. Okay?"

Merle looked at the spot she pointing at and then back to Daryl. "Alright." He grumbled as he walked away.

Carol crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm suppose to be the one pissed off at you. What the hell are you pissed off at me for?" She asked angrily.

He glanced over at Merle, who was staring at him, and then looked back at her. "We gotta stop." He said finally.

"What?" She asked, clearly not understanding what he was saying. "Stop what, Daryl?" She put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes.

He crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his own. "All this messin' around. We're worse than Glen and Maggie and I didn't think that was even possible."

"So, we argue over a kid and now you're cuttin' me off?" She sounded outraged. She looked it too.

"No. You just make it sound stupid." He grumbled.

"No. You're doin' a fine job of soundin' stupid all on your own." She snapped.

"Why didn't you ever even suggest that maybe we should borrow a condom from Glen? Well, not borrow it, really. We wouldn't give it back to him after..." He took a deep breath and waited for her amused expression to go away. Hoping that she would also come to the realization that he could have knocked her up.

"Are you worried that I have a disease or somethin'? Merle said you were freaked out about stuff like that, but I swear, there isn't anything wrong with... You know."

"Merle's got a big stupid mouth. And I know there ain't nothin' wrong with... You know. I was thinkin' about other things that can happen. Like things that's happened to friends of ours. Things that can kill a woman now days. You get what I'm sayin'? He couldn't even bring himself to say the word, that's how much the word scared him.

"Oh!" She gasped as she finally got what he was trying so hard to say to her. "That? That's what this is all about?" She grinned at him.

"Why would you grin like that? Are you suicidal? You could die, Carol."

"I had my tubes tied right after Sophia was born, Daryl. I can't have kids. You can't get me pregnant. If you could I would have said something. I'm not stupid or suicidal." She was giving him that look. The one where her mood could go sour or sweet depending on his response. He began treading lightly, feeling so relieved that he could pass out.

"I didn't mean that I wouldn't ever... If maybe the world wasn't all... I would think about it if it wasn't for..." He was trying hard to smooth this over but nothing he said sounded quite right leaving his mouth.

"Spit it out, Dixon. We got shit to do." She winked and he let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry. Sorry bout earlier too. I just don't wanna talk about that kid anymore. I don't want her, not for my own. I got my reasons, okay?"

Carol's face sobered and she nodded. "I know. I just thought..." Her gaze moved over to the clinic and then back to him. She gave a shrug and picked up the feet of a corpse. "Let's do this."

It wasn't long after that that the rest of them made there way down. Some started loading Walkers and others went off to check the buildings once more. Merle and Carol gave up on trying to coax him into conversation. Instead he listened to them and their little back and forth they had going on. They were actually pretty funny. He felt a little bad since his relationship with both of them couldn't be as carefree as their relationship with one another. He shared too much past with Merle. All the things they had been through as kids. And he shared too much pain with Carol. All the loss they had to endure over the past year.

"Have you ever gone cow tippin'?" Merle asked Carol.

She gave him one of her signature looks and shook her head. "What's that?"

Merle shook his head. "God, woman! You've missed out on so much. You shouldn't have married. It's to bad me and you couldn't have met when we were younger. I could have shown you the world, Little Dixon. Knockin' over cows while they're sleepin'. It's fun. Especially when you're stoned."

Carol laughed. "You would have taken me somewhere to tip over cows, and then you probably would have given me a sexually transmitted disease. I'm glad we didn't know one another when we were younger. My idea of a good time is vastly different than yours."

Merle looked at her and smiled. "I knew you liked me, Carol."

"What?" She asked.

"You just admitted that you'd have let me bang you if we'd have met sooner. That's sweet."

"Merle, stop talkin'." She grumbled.

"Yes ma'am." He sighed

Daryl shook his head. They were the last two people he'd have ever expected to find a friendship with one another. But if someone would have told him a few years ago that he would be like brothers with a damn cop, he'd have laughed in their face. And look at him now.

"We keep goin' at this rate and this will be cleaned up by tomorrow night." Rick said as he stepped around to help Daryl with a big one.

Daryl nodded and heaved the thing onto the truck bed.

"You put any thought into where to stay? You think we should stay in the one buildin' or start spreadin' out?" Rick asked.

Daryl glanced up at Rick and then shrugged. "Think it would be pretty stupid of us to spread out right now. Not when we don't know what's here. I'm stayin' right where I stayed last night."

"Yeah. There's enough of us now. We wont need to all stay on the first floor. I'm gonna tell everyone after we're done here to pick out their temporary place. I'd like to have one of those houses down the street eventually. All of us move further that way."

Daryl grunted. "Don't matter to me either way. As long as it's a place to sleep."

"But unlike some of us, you can sleep anywhere." Rick shook his head then glanced up at him, unsure of whether to go on.

"Spit it out, Rick. I know you got somethin' to say."

"I was just wonderin'..." He let his voice trail off.

"Course you were. The hell you wonderin' about?"

Rick glanced towards the clinic then. "What are you gonna do about the girl?"

"Ain't my job to do anything. The fuck are you gonna do about that girl is the question. She ain't my problem."

Rick let it go, knowing that Daryl wasn't in the mood to talk about it. Yet.

Carol kept glancing at Daryl out of the corner of her eye. She was starting to worry about him a little. He wasn't acting like himself. The way he had looked at her when she came up on him while he was moving the bodies had actually scared her. It shouldn't have but she had been glad Merle was there. Then she instantly felt bad for thinking she would need someone like Merle to protect her from Daryl.

She watched him closely as Rick tried to coax a conversation out of him. It wasn't working. He had been fine this morning, up until Merle had found that little girl and then he just shut down. He was reminding her of the Daryl from the quarry. He was trying to fight it but he was having a hard time. She thought she understood what his problem was.

"Hey, what's Daryl's problem today?" Maggie huffed as she drug a corpse over to the pile that the men were about to load onto the truck.

It was like Maggie could read her thoughts right then. She shrugged. "He's just stressed out. He don't wanna be here."

"I noticed. But he was fine this mornin'." Maggie argued.

"Yeah, but that was before that little girl told him that there were others here. With guns. Now he's spooked. You know how he worries all the time as it is. Now he has something to focus on."

Maggie nodded. "How bout you and me go get us somethin' to drink. I'm bout to die of thirst. And I'm starved. Feed me Carol." She grinned.

Carol looked around at all the people working around her and decided that maybe she should go fix something. None of them were going to stop until someone told them too. They were all so focused on their tasks. She nodded to Maggie. "Let's go then."

When they got to the first floor apartment that her and Daryl had chosen last night a thought occurred to her. "Maggie, where's Andrea?" She asked as she quickly changed her shirt and then scrubbed her hands in scalding water until they were pink.

Maggie rolled her eyes and leaned her elbows on the counter. "She's back in her own apartment down the street. You know, sometimes I wish you and Merle would have just killed her while you all were here."

Carol looked up in surprise. "Maggie! That don't sound like you."

She looked Carol over for a few moments and then shrugged. "Ain't none of us the same, and I think we would be more safe without her. I know you feel the same way. It's awful that I can trust Merle more than I can trust her. I hate that. But I understand Merle now. I know why he did what he did, even thought he's a big stubborn bastard that wont admit it."

"You really think she's dangerous?" Carol asked as she started pulling food out of the freezer.

Maggie nodded. "I think she's gonna do whatever she has to do to save her own ass. Whether it's stay with us or help the people that would surely kill us. I don't think she has any loyalties. Even Tyreese and his group are more trustworthy than she is and they are pretty much strangers. I'd put my life in Michonne's hands before Andrea's."

Carol nodded. "So what should we do? You know Rick isn't planning on doin' anything with her."

Maggie held her gaze for a long time before she spoke in a hushed voice. "You think we should kill her?"

Carol looked away. "I don't know. But you're right. We ain't safe here. I don't feel like we are anyway. Not with her runnin' loose."

"But what about Rick?" Maggie whispered.

"What about him?" Carol shrugged. "It don't seem to me like Rick plans on doin' much about anything. I think he's just tryin' to get his head straight. If it was as bad as you all say it was after Lori then he's probably strugglin' with his conscience. He has to be feelin' a lot of guilt over how he treated her. I don't think he's ready to make a decision that he may regret later."

"So you think maybe we should make that decision for him?" Maggie asked.

Carol watched the girl, trying to gauge her reaction to what Carol was suggesting. "I think that me and you have a family to protect. He's expectin' Daryl to be the one to go to extremes. Not us. I think we should do it."

Maggie nodded. "I think you're right. But how are we gonna do it? If we shoot her then everybody'll know as soon as we do. I ain't worried about them lockin' us up for murder but I don't want them to look at us like that's what we are."

"I'll think about it and let you know what I come up with." She said as the door opened and Daryl came in.

"Hi there, grumpy." Maggie beamed.

He grunted at her and went straight to the bathroom. A few minutes later they heard the shower turn on.

Carol stared at the closed door, shaking her head. "Wish I knew what was up with him today."

"It's that girl." Maggie said sadly.

Carol looked over at her and frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "That's what I was thinkin' but how could a little girl that cute put a grown man in such a bad mood. You shoulda seen him earlier. He was scary."

"He's scared of her." Maggie observed lightly, as if what she said made perfect sense.

"Daryl ain't scared of anything, Maggie." Carol said as she rolled her eyes at the girl.

"Daryl Dixon is scared of two things Carol. He's scared of losin' you and he's scared of lettin' you down. Other than those two things you're right. He ain't scared of anything." Maggie sounded so wise and Carol realized that the girl was right. But it still didn't make any sense.

"What do those two things have to do with that little girl?" Carol asked.

"I think it has a lot to do with what happened with Sophia. He let you down. He tried as hard as he could. Harder than anybody else and it wasn't enough. And you pulled away after that. Wouldn't let him help you. So he don't want to risk it. Not again. He ain't hard to read you know." Maggie smiled. "To him, if he takes that little girl in and then something happens, it's gonna bring back all that pain. And he's afraid that this town ain't safe as it is. He wont take on the responsibility if he thinks there's any chance he can fail. Failin' that girl is like failin' you all over again."

"How in the hell did you figure all this out?" Carol asked, astonished. She knew Maggie was right. And she should have seen it herself.

"I've made it a personal mission to figure Daryl out." She laughed. "It ain't an easy task but it helped kill time at the prison. He's a really complex guy. When I first met him I thought he was just a mean ass redneck but that ain't who he is."

"I know that." Carol said.

"Of course you do." Maggie smiled and put her arm around Carols shoulder, "Now, back to this murder. When are we doin' this?"

Carol glanced around, making sure no one else had snuck up on them. "Later. We'll talk about it after dinner tonight. Maybe we can go on a walk or somethin'. Sneak into her apartment and just end it."

"You really think we can do that?" Maggie asked quietly.

Carol took a deep breath. "I don't know. But we have to try."

Daryl wiped the steam off the mirror and looked at himself sullenly. He wanted to crawl in bed and forget all about the whole day which to him was a sign that he was already getting soft. When you didn't have a comfortable place to sleep then sleep wasn't something you worried about much. Now it wasn't even dark and he was ready for bed. Or just ready to get to tomorrow. And hope it would prove to be a better day. He doubted it though. He was to the point where he didn't trust Ricks judgment. He hadn't realized how much he had come to depend on the other man. Daryl was always the action while Rick had always been the brains. It had worked for them. Kept their group alive for a long time. Longer than he ever thought they would.

He was going to have to go to the clinic to pick that girl up and then he didn't know what he was suppose to do with her. Who could he leave her with? He scowled at his reflection. He wasn't going to have a choice but to bring her back here and all that was going to do was reinforce everyone's bright idea that he just keep the kid. He threw his clothes on in a rush ran a hand through his messy wet hair and then stormed out.

"You hungry?" Carol asked as he made his way to the door.

"No." Was the only answer he was going to give her.

"Stop." She ordered as he was about to open the door.

He stood there for a second and then turned to face her. "What?"

Maggie wasn't there, probably took a to go plate so Carol could give him a hard time. "Where are you goin'?"

"Keepin' tabs on me now?" He grumbled.

"Stop." She said quietly.

"Stop what?" He asked as he let go of the door and turned the rest of the way so he was facing her. "What exactly is it that I need to stop doin' now?"

"Well, you can stop actin' like a big jerk. I ain't done a thing to deserve it. If I have then correct me and you can go ahead and be a dick all you want. But we both know this is all you, not me. So stop. You wanna go treat someone like shit so you'll feel better about whatever is botherin' you then you go right ahead. But you ain't gonna take the shit out on me just because you think you can. That's a good way to get your nose broken, Dixon. I'm no mans doormat."

He gaped at her. He'd never met anyone that was so quick to put him in his place. He wasn't sure what to say to her. He sighed loudly and eyed her. "You wanna go with me to get the kid from Beth? Told her I'd be the one to come get her. She didn't want the rest of you assholes doin' it." He felt the corners of his mouth turn up slightly.

"She didn't say that." Carol said quietly.

"No, really. That's exactly what she said."

He could see that she was relieved to see the humor in his face. He'd probably put her through hell today since she really didn't know what was wrong with him. He didn't have any intentions of telling her either. He'd get through it on his own. Hell, even he wasn't exactly sure what was bothering him so much.

"Where are we takin' her? Glen and Maggie gonna keep her tonight?" Carol asked. She sounded like she dreaded asking the question and he felt bad all over again for stressing her out.

"No. She ain't gonna want to stay with them. I guess she can stay with us. For now. It you don't care." He searched her eyes but she was getting good at keeping him out of her head. There was nothing he could see. She simply nodded and came around the counter, taking his hand.

"Let's go get the kid then. And after that you will eat somethin'. Even if I have to feed you myself."

"Yes ma'am." He muttered as they walked out.

The sun was just starting to set, bathing everything in an orange glow. They had made a lot of progress on the clean up. This part of town was looking pretty good. It still stank but nothing could be done about that. He figured maybe the rain would help that, if they got anymore soon. He hoped they didn't get any before they could get the rest of the bodies up. The thought of hauling off soggy dead bodies was a lot more gross than just regular dead bodies.

Rick and Tyreese were on top of the wall. That made him feel a little better. He would feel a lot better once they followed Michonne's advice and put a couple people on the fence to patrol. They waved at them as they climbed the steps to the clinic. Daryl gave them a nod and then went on in.

The front of the clinic was dark, meaning Hershel and the girls were probably in the apartment in the back. He almost didn't even knock on the door. It had been so long since he had to use any common courtesy's that he was rusty. Not that he used them much before all of this.

A grinning Beth opened the door. "She's been waitin' for you." She said as she pulled the door wide.

Daryl stepped in and looked around. "Nice place, Hershel. Who'd have thought?"

Hershel gave him a knowing look. "Not me. That's for sure. Can I talk to you for a few minutes alone before you take her? Carol, you might want to hear this too."

Daryl felt panic welling up in his chest and he wasn't sure why. "Where is she? Is somethin' wrong with her?" He couldn't hide the panic in his voice as well as he could keep it off is face. He felt Carol's hand tighten on his as they followed Hershel through a doorway and into a small kitchen.

"She's not really injured if that's what you mean. She may have been in a bit of shock when Merle first found her but that's passed too."

"Then what is it?" Daryl asked grimly.

"Well, when I was examining her for injuries I kept noticing these marks on her. Like welts there on the backs of her legs and on her back. There's also quite a bit of bruising on her upper arms and her little ribs. I'm pretty sure that little girl has been taking some pretty bad beatings for quite a while."

"Ouch, Daryl?" Carol grimaced and he looked down.

He let go of her hand. He had nearly crushed it. "Sorry." He breathed and then he looked back at Hershel. "She say who did it?" He'd managed to keep his voice steady. That was a good thing because he didn't feel very steady right now. He felt very unsteady. He wanted to hit something. Or someone. But there wasn't anyone here that deserved his wrath.

"I asked her about it. She said that if she was bad she got punished. It didn't bother her to talk about it. Her parents did that to her."

"Anything else?" Daryl asked between clenched teeth. He felt the muscle in his jaw twitching painfully.

"No. Nothing worse than the beatings if that's what you mean. I didn't examine her, I suppose I could but usually that's traumatic on someone so small. I asked her questions though and I really don't think anyone has done anything worse to her. She's been talkin' about you a lot. Beth has been keeping her occupied in her room. We found books and crayons and things like that. She's had a pretty good time. She's a smart little thing once you get her talkin'. She's just shy at first."

Daryl nodded even though he was only half hearing what Hershel was telling him. He wished her parents were around. That would make him feel a lot better. But there was nothing to be done about it now. He just hoped that if they did get fed on that it took the Walkers a long time to finish.

Hershel led them down a short hall and then knocked on the door to their right. Beth opened it up and Daryl looked past her. The kid was sprawled out on the floor coloring a picture with her small pink tongue clamped between her teeth.

"Hey." he grumbled.

Her head shot up at the sound of his voice. "You did come back." She said with a grin.

"You think I was pullin' your leg or somethin'?" He asked as he bent down to study the picture she was working on.

"Well, you look a little bit like a liar. But I wasn't sure. Beth said that you wouldn't lie but you can't trust these assholes sometimes." She shrugged.

Daryl covered his mouth to stifle his laugh. He looked at Carol and the others before he turned back to the girl. They looked amused but he was a bit embarrassed. He didn't think she would bust him out in front of all three of them.

"Daryl, you mind tellin' me what you've been sayin' about us behind our backs to Miss Kenzey here?" Hershel asked with a half suppressed grin.

He bent his head down so it was level with hers. "Maybe we shouldn't tell them everything I say. What'cha think?"

She turned her head so she could look him in the eye. In this light he noticed a barely there bruise right under her left eye. "I think you're right."

He sighed and unclenched his fists that he hadn't even realized were clenched in the first place. "You ready to go? Or do you want to hang out with Beth and Judith some more?"

"I wanna go with you. But can Beth and Judith come over? To wherever you live?"

Daryl glanced back at Beth who just nodded. God, she was such a good kid.

Kenzey handed Daryl the picture she had colored. She was actually really good. He folded it up and put it in his back pocket. Beth and Hershel followed them out, Hershel sitting on the top step as he watched Rick and Tyreese on the wall.

"Feels real good to be outside." Hershel said to himself.

It was nearly dark now and Daryl was eager to get the kid's inside.

"Hey! Don't move unless you wanna be Walker meat, asshole!" Tyreese's voice boomed out. He had his gun trained on something on the other side of the gate.

Rick followed suit.

"Beth, get'em back inside." Daryl growled. He looked down at the little girl. "I'll be right back, okay?"

She nodded and hurried back inside with Beth.

He climbed the wall quickly and then nearly pulled Carol all the way up by the arm.

"Oh shit!" Rick breathed. "I don't believe this."

Rick and Tyreese were both looking through a scope. Daryl tried to squint into the gloom to see what they were seeing but he couldn't make anything out.

"Who is it?" Tyreese asked in a hushed voice.

Daryl slid a protective arm around Carols waist before Rick even answered the question.

"That, my friend, is Carol's husband."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

"Oh, Lord." Tyreese whispered.

Daryl was having a hard time processing what Rick had just said. At first he thought that he heard wrong but when Carol stiffened in his arms he knew it must be true. She turned around, eyes searching his in the dim light.

"Carol!" Rick hissed.

She tore her eyes away from Daryl's face and looked up at Rick.

Rick studied her worriedly. "This is your call, Carol. What do you want us to do?"

Daryl was sure that she would tell them to gun him down. And he would have loved to be the one to do it. But that isn't what she said.

"Let him in, Rick." She said, keeping her eyes on Daryl's.

His grip around her waist tightened. This was not happening. Why would she tell them to let him in? What the hell was wrong with her? Every insecurity he had ever had must have been bleeding into the look he was giving her, he couldn't even tell what kind of face he wore but suddenly hers went soft and he felt her hands touch the sides of his neck.

"Do you trust me?" She whispered.

He stared at her for a long time and then finally he nodded. He did trust her. He didn't understand what the hell she was doing but he trusted her. She smiled at him then and pulled his face down to hers and kissed him. It was the kind of kiss that made a man forget his own name. The kind that made your blood run too hot in your veins. The kind that Ed apparently found offensive.

"Carol?" Ed choked.

She finally broke the kiss but not the contact. She turned so she could look down at the man who had made her life hell. Daryl kept his hands on her waist. He wasn't going anywhere and she wasn't getting any closer to the son of a bitch. Not if Daryl had anything to say about it. Ed wasn't alone either. He was standing with three more men. They looked pretty rough. They all had a look about them that made Daryl wonder if Ed hadn't wandered onto a camp full of guys just like him.

"Hello, Ed." Carol said blandly. "Fancy meeting you here. How ya been?"

"Is that really you?" Ed gasped.

Daryl turned when he heard someone else making their way up the wall. Uh oh.

"What the hell's all the commotion about?" Merle asked as he made it to the top. When he looked down he stared at the men below them. Daryl saw him tense. "Tell me that ain't Ed." he growled.

"Merle, wait." Carol warned. She moved away from Daryl's hands to stand in front of the furious Merle. She put her hands on his chest. "Just calm down okay."

Merle picked her up. Literally lifted her off the ground and nearly threw her at Daryl. Daryl steadied her as, without a word, Merle jumped off the wall and hit Ed in the face as hard as he could. Ed went down but his friends were right there. Daryl watched for a second until one of the guys came up behind Merle while he was fighting off a much larger guy. Daryl jumped down right as the guy was about to hit Merle in the back of the head with something. Ed had regained a bit of himself by now and stood up, glaring at Daryl.

Merle was about to hit Ed again but Daryl was on him, knocking him to the ground. He hit Ed a few times before he felt someone lift him in the air. The biggest man had joined the fray now. As soon as Daryl felt his feet touch the ground he spun around before the guy could even let go of him. He rammed his knee into the mans crotch and then kicked him in the face when he bent forwards. It was almost the same move Carol had done to Merle.

Everyone froze when they heard a loud shot. Daryl looked up. Carol had her rifle in her hands. She was flanked by Tyreese and Rick. "That's enough boys." She said calmly and then she jumped from the wall, landing lightly on her feet.

"Merle, can't you ever just listen?" She asked as she walked by him shaking her head.

She was walking towards Daryl but she had to walk right past Ed to get to him. Daryl tensed, waiting for Ed to put his hands on her but he never did. He just watched her as she walked by. Daryl didn't even want him doing that. She had a smirk on her face as he caught her hand. He wanted her close. This was it for him. They were going back to the prison. He didn't even care if he had to take the kid with him. They were leaving tonight.

He glanced up when he heard the heavy doors opening. Tyreese stood there, gun aimed at the four newcomers, as Rick motioned them into the gates. Tyreese looked scary. His usual friendly face was transformed into an intimidating hateful scowl as the men walked by. Ed, the coward that he was, gave the big man a wide berth. It was smart since that look on Tyreese's face was directed to Ed alone.

"The fuck ain't we killed him yet?" Merle hissed angrily.

"We ain't gonna kill him, Merle." Carol said calmly.

Daryl caught her around the waist and pulled her back. "Oh yes we are. Maybe not right now but that mother fucker is gonna die. Soon."

"Just calm down." She said again, sliding her hand up his arm.

Merle was right next to her. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Carol?" He spat. He was pissed.

"I ain't gonna calm down. I'm gonna kill that piece of shit. You'll forgive me eventually." Daryl said in a low voice.

"Would you two just stop. Please?" She said as they walked through the gate. Rick was right there to close it back.

The gunshot had everyone out there now. And everyone was armed. The newcomers were surrounded. Most of their group didn't know Ed. They had just heard of him. Hershel, Beth, Maggie, Ben, Sasha, Michonne and Axel had no idea that this was Carol's husband. The ones that did recognize him were openly glaring at him.

"What the hell is he doin' here?" Carl nearly shrieked, aiming the gun right at Ed's head.

"Carl!" Rick yelled.

"Carol." Ed breathed, eyes wide. "I can't believe it's you."

She regarded him levelly, her expression was almost bored. "What can we do for you, Ed?" She asked as Daryl's grip around her waist tightened again.

Ed noticed the small movement and glared at Daryl. "Why don't you take your filthy redneck hands off my wife, boy." He growled.

All the people that hadn't known that this was Carol's long lost husband were now gaping. This was better than television. No one had seen such drama since the day they had lost cable. Daryl almost laughed.

"She ain't yours no more, Ed. She's mine. End of story." Ed's eyes were on Daryl's hands so he made it a point to let them slip down and grip her hips firmly. The other mans eyes narrowed to slits.

"So this is what you've been doin' all year? Instead of lookin' for me you been playin' whore to a couple of white trash rednecks?"

Daryl and Merle were both about to lunge. Not just them but the entire group inched a little closer. If Ed didn't watch himself he definitely wasn't going to make it through this conversation alive.

"Of course not, Ed." She said in a small voice that reminded Daryl painfully of the one she had so often used at the quarry. "You know I'm not like that." Ed seemed almost appeased but Carol kept going, to Daryl and Merle's delight. "I've only been playin' whore with this one. After all them years with you he's really all the man I can handle." She smiled sweetly and their was a lot of laughter coming from the group. Daryl smirked as Ed's face flamed.

All this was in good fun but Daryl was actually worried. "What the fuck are we gonna do with these goons?" He asked in her ear.

"I think we should just let them stay." She whispered back.

"Are you insane?" He growled in her ear.

Rick stepped forward. "Are there more of you out there?" He asked. Tyreese, and now Michonne, were on his heels.

"We have a camp a few miles north of here." Ed answered Rick's question but his eyes stayed on Daryl. "A few other men."

"How many are there total?" Daryl asked.

Ed just glared but one of his men, the biggest one, spoke up. "There's about fifteen total. And we didn't come here lookin' for trouble. We didn't know Ed's wife was gonna be here."

"Wait a minute, where the hell is Sophia?" Ed asked as he looked around at the familiar and unfamiliar faces surrounding him. It was as if his own daughter was nothing but an afterthought.

"She's dead." Carol said in a clear voice.

He didn't look surprised, or particularly bothered by the news which caused Daryl to start shaking with anger. He remembered Carol telling him, after the accident, that he had done more that day for Sophia than Ed ever had her whole life. He saw the truth in those words now.

"I knew that would happen. As soon as you let them bastards throw me out of camp I knew you'd both end up dead. You just lucked up and found a tough guy you could screw for protection. Maybe she's better off, so she ain't gotta see you with the likes of him."

There was a dull thud and then suddenly, just as Merle took a step forward to beat the shit out of him, Ed crumpled to the ground. His men all backed up and then Carol saw the culprit. Maggie stood over Ed, face blazing with anger, rifle held firm as she took the stock and rammed it into Ed's face.

Glen caught Maggie around the waist before she could hit him again. Everyone else was pretty much dumbfounded. Everyone except for Daryl. He knew the girl had a little fire and sulfer in her veins.

"You fella's are gonna spend the night tonight. In the mornin' we'll go with you back to your camp. Make sure you all are who you say you are. If everything checks out then you can go on your way from there. As long as we don't see any of you within twenty miles of this town, you all should be just fine." Rick nodded to Tyreese and Michonne. "You three come with us. Merle, Daryl, do you think the two of you can give Ed here a hand?" Rick asked.

Daryl looked at Merle and then nodded. They each grabbed one of Ed's hands and then drug him behind the others.

"Are you two havin' fun?" Carol asked as she followed them to the building that Rick was leading the other men too.

Daryl flashed her a bright smile. "Not yet. I plan to though."

Merle wasn't so quick to find his good mood. "What the hell's wrong with you?" he snapped at her. "We saw what this piece of shit used to do to you. Why did you let him in here? Why didn't you just let us kill him?"

Carol didn't say anything for a while but Daryl wished she would answer the question. He was dying to know himself. Finally she let out a breath. "For one, even though I ain't proud of it, he was Sophia's dad. I thought he had the right to know that she was gone. Not that he much cared."

"So that's it then? You wanted to tell him about her?" Daryl asked. He didn't look at her. He just kept dragging her husband down the street.

"That's part of it." She said quietly but she didn't elaborate. And he didn't push her too.

Merle snorted. "Maybe me and you should sneak in here later and kill them ourselves baby brother. Have ourselves a bondin' moment over this bastards dead body."

Ed started groaning. Merle and Daryl both dropped his hands. They were just about to drag him up the steps. They were both secretly hoping he would stay out so they could throw him down the basement stairs. Daryl knew that was where they were taking them. The same basement that they had held him and his brother.

"How's the head there you ugly bastard? Our girls can really hit, can't they?" Merle asked as Ed sat up. He still looked dazed.

"Carol?" He mumbled.

Daryl had to physically bite his tongue. He didn't even want her name in this guys mouth. He thought about kicking his teeth out so he would have trouble talking at all but Carol stopped him with a hand to his chest.

"Just wait, okay? I'm just askin' for a little time is all." She said quietly.

"Time to what?" He grumbled. He looked past her shoulder and saw Ed sitting there glaring at them. Well, at him, anyway.

"We can talk about it later, okay?" She said as she moved her hands up to his shoulders.

Ed stood up then but Merle was right next to him, saying something that was making Ed's face turn red again. Then Daryl just said what the hell and kissed her. The same way she had kissed him on the wall. He didn't close his eyes though. He turned his head slightly, caught Eds eye and then flipped him off behind Carol's back. Merle laughed but Ed looked like he wanted to kill Daryl. He really hoped that Ed would try.

"Tell me Ed, what are you glarin' at my little brother like that for, huh? You treated that woman like trash. What did you expect her to do? You really think she woulda tried to find you back then?"

Ed tore his eyes away from Daryl and fixed his glare on Merle.

"You wanna know a secret?" Merle taunted with a smirk. "It was goin' on at the quarry too. Right under your nose. Every time you would say something bad to her or hurt her, Daryl over there would find her and make it all better." Merle laughed and then glanced over to make sure Carol wasn't listening. Ed was so mad his face took on an unhealthy purple shade. "Yeah, she would wait for you to go to sleep at night. Soon as she heard your fat ass snorin' she was out of that tent and runnin' off to the woods with my brother. You gotta admit it, Ed. Look at you and look at him. Of course a woman like that, only knowin a fat bastard like you, would jump at the chance to run her hands over a body like the one Daryl offered her. All hard muscle and hard di..."

"Merle, what are you talkin' about?" Carol asked from behind him.

He jumped and then spun around. "Oh, nothin'. Just chattin'. Tellin' our friend Ed here about what you and my brother have been up too." He grinned.

"Let's lock these assholes up and get home. I'm sick of lookin' at him." Daryl grumbled.

It was Merle who led the way. He knew the building well since he had been the one who would usually deal with the prisoners. When they went into the room the Governor had converted into his little jail house Rick let out a low whistle. There were twelve cages that looked more like dog kennels. That was probably exactly what they had been. Each one had a cot. It wasn't anything fancy, of course, but it was impressive for the times. The governor liked to keep up with appearances.

"Cages?" Ed barked. "Are you people crazy?"

Carol just gave him a look. "Not crazy, Ed. Cautious."

"This is ridiculous! I'm your husband for Christ sakes!" His voice was louder, booming off of the concrete walls.

Before Daryl knew what was happening she was out of his reach and glaring up at Ed. The rifle barrel pressed painfully under his chin. Merle was beside her instantly, daring the man to move with that look that Merle had perfected years ago.

"You are gonna stop calling me that. I was never your wife, I was your goddamn dog." Her voice came out in a Merle worthy growl, her teeth clenched. Ed had grown very still as she stood there with the gun digging into his flesh. "You are a worthless coward. A bully. Scum." She jerked the gun away and squared her shoulders, waiting, hoping that Ed would make some sort of move. But he didn't. He only looked down at her with eyes that revealed very little. She backed away from him, a challenge in her own face, wanting nothing more than for him to take the bate. But he wouldn't. Not with the Dixon's right there.

Daryl watched her approach him. He knew this was harder on her than she let on. She felt like the time she had spent with Ed had been a big waist of her life. He took years from her, like a cancer that wouldn't go away.

"Cuff'em and lock'em up, Rick. I'm tired of lookin' at him." Carol said and she sounded tired.

She laid her palm against the side of Daryl's face and smiled up at him. "Feel like walkin' me to the clinic, Dixon? You got someone waitin'."

His eyes flicked up and met Ed's. He was still watching them with that look on his face. What Daryl really wanted to do was let Carol go on ahead of him and then just have everyone else leave the room for about fifteen minutes. He wanted to beat the other man. And he didn't want to stop until he was dead. He wanted to draw it out as long as he could just like Ed had done to Carol. He wanted to make him bleed, watch him suffer and hear him beg Daryl to kill him just to end it. But he knew she had reasons behind doing this. And he knew that she'd be pissed if he did any of the things he really wanted to do. So all he did was smile and nod, agreeing to leave with her.

"Let's go Merle. I trust you even less than I trust this one." Carol called over her shoulder.

Merle put on a look of outrage. "I wasn't plannin' anything, woman! What is it with you always thinkin' I'm out to do harm to somebody?" He argued but followed them anyway.

When they were back out on the sidewalk Carol let out a shaky breath. "Of all the towns in all of Georgia that son of a bitch had to stumble across ours?" She was quiet.

"I'm glad." Merle grunted earning a look from Carol and his brother. "What? It's true. I'm glad he's here. And I know exactly why you didn't let us bash in his skull. I'm observant when I wanna be."

"Oh, really?" Carol challenged as she pressed herself harder against Daryl's side. "So, you got me all figured out, huh?"

He spared her a sideways glance. "What were you like on the night they kicked him out? Who were you then?" Merle asked knowingly.

Carol grimaced, always hating to think back to those days.

"That's right. You were barely even a person. Just a broken down shell of a woman. And you didn't have any hope that it would ever get any better. That's who Ed knows. That's who he keeps lookin' for. But that ain't what he finds. Nah," Merle shook his head with a proud grin, "He found one of us. And that's why you let him in. You want him to know that you're one of us. You're gonna hurt him. You're just bidin' your time. You want him to know exactly who you are."

Carol didn't tell him whether he was right or not but Daryl could tell that Merle was right just by the look on her face. And it was a relief. To know that she had more plans for the man. After everything he had done to her, Daryl would never be able to let him leave here without at least a few broken bones. If Carol didn't supply the broken bones part then he would gladly oblige.

"Merle, you let me handle this my own way okay? Stay away from him until I figure out what we are gonna do. Can you do that?" She asked as they stopped outside the apartment building.

He looked as thought he had to put a lot of thought into it but eventually he nodded. "This is all yours. I'll stay out of it till you need me." He actually bent down and kissed her cheek earning an eye roll from his brother.

"Why don't you all go find your own woman to kiss on? If it ain't you then it's Rick." He grumbled.

"Cause you went and snagged the best one, brother." Merle winked. "She just couldn't resist all your charm. Now the rest of us must suffer." he dramatically made his exit then, disappearing into the building causing Carol to finally submit to a fit of laughter that she had been trying to hold in.

"Jackass." Daryl grumbled as he led her a little ways further down the street.

The front of the clinic was lit up this time. Daryl saw Beth and Maggie sitting cross legged on the floor with Kenzey, Glen and Hershel were talking to Carl behind the desk. Daryl tapped on the glass and gave a little wave to the kid who was instantly on her feet. She was fast. When he pulled the door open and stepped in she was, for some reason, bouncing with excitement. Her green eyes were wide, right along with her grin. He knelt down and she instantly attached herself to his neck. He lifted her up easily and she was doing that hand thing again where she demanded his attention.

"Are you really gonna teach me how to hunt? Maggie and Beth said that you and Merle were the best hunters around and that I could learn how." Her words were almost running together in her excitement. He couldn't hide the fact that he was smiling at her like an idiot.

"They said that, did they?" He gave them each a pointed look. He knew exactly what they were doing. "Remember what I told you about them?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

Her smile vanished. "So they lied?" She looked crushed.

"Nah, they didn't lie. I can show you a thing or two." He shot the girls a glare.

"Do I get a gun?" She asked, voice hopeful.

"Yep." And he meant it. If Beth and Maggie wanted to push him into this by using the kid against him then he'd at least have fun with it. "You ever shoot a gun before?"

She shook her head, eyes growing even more wide.

"Alright then. We'll start tomorrow afternoon. Shootin' lessons behind the storage buildin'. Maggie and Beth can come watch if they want."

Maggie and Beth were both pale. They hadn't really thought he would agree to anything. All they wanted to do was push to where he would have to spend time with the girl. They thought he would come up with something else to do. They thought wrong.

"You guys wanna watch?" The girl asked, excitement in her voice.

"I know I do." Carl said with a grin.

"Me too. I ain't missing this." Glen looked at Maggie who looked appalled.

"Daryl, maybe you should teach her somethin' else for now. She's four." Maggie said in a low voice.

"Exactly. She starts out now, could you imagine how tough she'll be by the time she's Carl's age. Look at what I turned Carol into? You girls are really onto somethin' here." He gave them a smirk and then turned back to Kenzey. "You ready, kid?" He asked.

She nodded and then turned to wave at everybody that was watching her and Daryl.

Beth stood up and fetched a backpack out from behind the counter and handed it to Carol. "I went and packed some of her things."

"Thanks, Beth." Carol smiled at the girl.

"And I'll be ready to watch her for ya again in the mornin' while you all deal with Ed." Beth said happily. "I'll have Judith all night anyway."

Daryl grunted. "Why are you stuck with the baby all night?" He asked.

Beth looked down for a moment and then back up at him like she was trying to think of something to say that wouldn't cause him to get angry at Rick. "Her daddy is havin' a hard time. I don't mind to help out."

Before Daryl could say a word Carl cut in harshly. "Everybody is havin' a hard time. That don't give him the right to put more responsibility on you."

Daryl nodded in agreement, even if he was a bit surprised that Carl had been the one to say something.

"Carl, he's your dad. Maybe you could be a little more understandin'." Beth said tightly.

"Maybe I would be a little more understandin' if he would man up and take care of his own. It ain't right the way he expects you to handle the baby all the time. If he don't want her then maybe he should just say so. I'm sick of it."

"We can talk about this later." Beth snapped. Daryl was surprised at her. He had never heard her raise her voice before. Maybe Maggie wasn't the only one that had a mean streak. Carl looked away and kept his mouth shut.

The apartment was dark when they entered but Daryl's eyes adjusted quickly and he walked in without even thinking of turning on a light. It had been so long since things were that easy. Carol flipped the switch and he sat the girl down on the floor. She looked around, wide eyed.

"Have you had anything to eat?" Carol asked the girl.

She nodded.

"Well, if you want somethin' just ask him." She pointed to Daryl and then headed towards the shower.

Daryl stood there awkwardly for a minute and then sat down at the table and started unlacing his boots. Kenzey climbed up into the chair across from him.

"You really don't want me here, do you?" She asked as she propped her elbows up on the table and rested her chin on her hands.

Daryl looked at her. Had she overheard him say that to someone? He didn't think he had said anything like that while she was around but knowing his temper and the day he had he really wouldn't put it past himself. He felt like the biggest asshole alive. "I don't not want you here. You're here, ain't ya?"

"I'm little but I'm smart. I wont back talk. I already know better. I clean up after myself. I'm quiet. I wont even cry if I do somethin' bad and you need to hit me."

Daryl's stomach instantly turned sour. He crossed his arms on the table and then laid his chin down so he was eye level with her. "If you got somethin' to say then you say it. Okay? And if you make a mess, I'll be around to help you clean it up. And your four, you can be loud if you want to. It's what kids do."

She stared at him for a long time. He stared right back, not knowing how to proceed and then he finally just decided to ask what he wanted to ask. "You get hit on a lot?"

"Not really. Just if I do bad stuff."

"Like what?"

"Like, if I make a mess or if I'm too loud or if I don't eat all my food." She shrugged. "Stuff like that."

"Well, you ain't getting' hit on anymore. Matter of fact, somebody ever puts their hands on you again, I'll put an arrow in their ass. And that'll be their only warnin'."

"What about you?" She whispered after a while.

"What about me?"

"What if I do somethin' really bad and you have to hit me?" She didn't say it like she was afraid of it happening. She said it like she expected it to happen and it made him feel even more sick.

"I wouldn't do that. I don't hit kids and I don't hit women. Okay?"

"Why not?"

"Cause real men don't go around hittin' kids and women. Takes a real pussy to do some shit like that. Matter of fact, Carol used to get hit on a lot. Now she can beat up almost anybody in town. Ain't nobody hittin' her anymore."

"She can fight?" Kenzey asked, glancing back towards the bathroom door eyes the size of saucers once more.

"Yep."

There was another long pause before she spoke again. "So, does this mean that you're gonna think about lettin' me stay with you?" Her voice was hushed, like she was almost afraid to hear the answer.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before nodding. "I'm startin' to have a feelin' that you and me, we kinda need to stick together."

This earned him a grin and then she yawned.

"You think you'll be okay on the couch for tonight?" He asked.

She nodded and then stood up and followed him into the living room. There was a few throw pillows there and an afghan draped across the back of the couch. She didn't say a word, she just climbed right up and laid her head down. He threw the afghan over her head. She freed her face and then rolled over onto her side in a ball like Carol still did in her sleep. "Good night, Daryl." She whispered.

He leaned over her and brushed some dark curls out of her face. "Stayin' in a weird house is creepy sometimes. If you get freaked out you come wake us up, okay? You wont get in trouble."

"You sure?" She asked, eyes drooping.

"Yep."

She nodded and then her eyes slipped closed. He stood there for a few long minutes and then, shaking his head, he went to the bedroom and waited for Carol. They had a lot of shit that needed worked out and he didn't want to wait. He had a feeling she was taking her time in the shower on purpose. But it wasn't going to do her any good. She could stay in there all night if she wanted, he'd still be waiting in the morning.

He stripped off his shirt and stretched out, crossing his arms under his head. The moonlight shining through the windows was bright enough for him to not need to turn on a lamp. He didn't really care for the artificial light anymore.

Eventually she silently slipped into the room. The silvery light made her look ethereal and he watched as she stopped long enough for her eyes to adjust to the light. She was only wearing a towel and a smile.

"You tryin' to distract me?" He asked, his voice taking on that husky quality that meant that he was definitely starting to get distracted.

"Yeah," She whispered as she crawled on top of him. She was still damp, like she hadn't even bothered to dry herself off. She smelled like vanilla and her skin was warm. She bent her head and kissed him hungrily, he was forgetting about what he had been waiting on her for. "Is it workin'? I'm new at this, ya know?" She said into his throat right before he felt her teeth nip at his skin lightly.

"It's sorta workin'." He groaned but he pulled away from her slightly, "But we need to talk about all this."

"I don't feel like talkin' right now, Daryl." She said and then her mouth made a wet trail down to his stomach.

"But we need to... Oh wow." He sucked in a sharp breath as Carol proved that, despite being new at it, she was really really good at distracting him.


	14. Chapter 14

**This chapter has kept me up ALL night! It was a hard one but I think I made it flow pretty well. I blame Merle and all his complexity's! I hope you all enjoy this one! To all of you that review, much much love to you! It's such a help! So THANK YOU!**

Chapter Fourteen

Carol wasn't sure what had woken her but she knew she wasn't going to get back to sleep. Daryl was still asleep with one arm wrapped around her middle, his chest pressed into her back and one leg pushed between her knees. There was no way she was going to slip out of bed without waking him. She eased his arm from around her first and then scooted over a little bit. To her surprise he just mumbled and then rolled over onto his other side, still breathing deeply. She'd never been able to move an inch over the winter without him jerking awake. She thought maybe he was enjoying this place more than he let on. If he could just get over all his worrying.

She pulled on some clothes, hoped they matched and left the room on silent feet. The kitchen was mostly dark but last night she had thought to turn on the dim light over the stove in case the girl woke up and needed them for anything. She smiled to herself as she started the coffee. Daryl was good at acting like the big tough guy, just like his brother, but she knew that Kenzey wasn't going anywhere now. He had a real soft spot for kids. Maybe because he had never really had much of a chance to be one. But in the end, no matter what he said about not wanting her, he wouldn't trust anyone else to take care of her. Especially since she undoubtedly had her own horror stories of abuse.

She peeked around the corner just to check on the girl and was surprised to see her sitting up on the couch, in the dark, picking at the pillow she held on her lap. She looked up quickly when she felt Carol's eyes on her.

"Good morning." Carol whispered. "How long have you been awake?" She asked as she sat down on the other end of the couch.

"I didn't get into anything. I was just waiting for someone to wake up." She whispered quickly.

Carol frowned. She was acting as though being awake before them was a bad thing. Something she would get in trouble for. She reached out and covered Kenzey's hand with her own noticing how the girl flinched at the contact.

"Tomorrow mornin', if you wake up first, you should come wake me up too so you don't have to sit alone. You don't have to be afraid of anybody here, okay?"

The small hand finally relaxed and she offered Carol a small smile. Carol would take what she could get so she smiled back. "Daryl said that I could back talk and make messes and be as loud as I wanted. I'm guessin' that Daryl ain't ever been around many kids before, huh?"

Carol laughed quietly. "I don't think he has. But he was right. You're a kid. Be a kid. Ain't nobody around here gonna lay a finger on you. I think Daryl would end up..." Her voice trailed off.

"Puttin' and arrow in someones ass. That's what he told me last night." Kenzey said.

Carol couldn't help but laugh again. The more Carol laughed the more the girl relaxed.

"Do you know anything about cookin'? She asked.

Kenzey shook her head. "I can pour my own cereal. That's about all I got so far."

Carol took the girl by the hand and led her to the kitchen, picking her up and setting her down lightly on the counter. She turned on the big light and started gathering up the ingredients for biscuits. Kenzey watched her as she measured everything out and sat it all on the table next to a big mixing bowl. When she was done she scooped the girl off the counter and pulled a chair up to the sink.

"Wash up." She said as she went to the refrigerator and pulled out sausage she had thawed the day before.

The girl did as she was told, no questions asked and then looked at Carol expectantly.

Carol grinned. "You see all that stuff over there?" She asked as she pointed to the table.

Kenzey nodded.

"Go mix it all together in that bowl. It's gonna get hard so you might have to get your hands messy. Think you can handle that?"

The girl nodded, her face determined. She went right to work, careful and guarded at first but then she seemed to realize that it was fun. She hummed to herself quietly as Coral cooked the gravy. By the time Daryl found them the sun was already coming up and there was a decent coating of flour on everything near the table. Including Carol and the girl.

"You two havin' fun?" He grumbled.

Kenzey nodded and flashed a smile. "I cooked." She said proudly.

He nodded. "I can see that."

"I made a mess." she announced as though she was just as proud of that as she was the cooking.

"I can see that too." He laughed. "And I guess now I gotta help with the cleanup?"

She nodded. "Carol said that was only fair since she helped with the cookin'."

Carol caught his eye and winked. He knew what she was doing and he nodded at her. She wanted to make the girl as comfortable as she could. She didn't want her jumping at every sound and being scared to death for every mistake she made. Sophia had been so nervous around Ed most of the time that she would get the shakes when it came time for him to come home from work. This little girl wasn't going to live like that. Not if she was staying with them.

"The biscuits should be done in about five minutes. You feed her and then clean her up and take her to Beth. Leave the mess and I'll get it later.?" She said on her way to the door.

He looked up, eyes panicked. "Where the hell are you goin'?" He asked quickly.

"I need to talk to him, Daryl." She said quietly. She glanced at the little girl who was watching them.

"Why?" Was all he asked although she was sure if Kenzey hadn't been there he would have had a lot more than that too say. And he would have just followed her. Right now he couldn't do that without exposing the girl to Ed and he wouldn't do that.

"I don't know." She answered him as honest as she could. "But soon he'll be gone. You can do whatever you want to him. It wont matter to me. But right now I just want to talk to him."

Daryl glanced up at the clock that hung above the sink. He smirked and then looked back at her. "Alright. Have fun."

She frowned. "That's it? Have fun?"

He nodded. "Merle started his Ed guard duty about an hour ago. Good luck." He kissed her and then shooed her out the door.

Well this was gonna be just lovely. She wasn't even sure why she wanted to talk to Ed. There really wasn't much to be said. Not anymore. Maybe she wanted him to show a little more remorse for the way he had treated her and Sophia. It was useless, she already knew. But she felt she needed to talk to him all the same. Throughout their whole marriage she had never said much to him. She kept her head down and her mouth shut. Sophia learned to do the same thing early on. She was discovering that there was a lot needed to be said to Ed Peletier.

Michonne and Tyreese waved at her when she stepped out onto the sidewalk. They were on the wall, guns in hand. She waved back and smiled and then hurried down the street. She expected someone to be posted outside of the building that housed the men but there was no one there. She hurried along down the hall that would take her to the basement room they were being kept in. She could only hope that Merle hadn't killed them all yet. Sometimes he reminded her of a rabid dog and then other times he was like a big misunderstood teddy bear.

She made her way down the stairs as silently as she could. She could hear voices and she was curious as to what Merle might be saying to the men. She knelt down and watched from under the banister.

"Your buddies here might get to live. But not you, Ed. Nah, me and my brother got some plans for you. You really think you can treat Carol like that and get away with it forever? You shoulda known that some day somebody was gonna care enough to fuck you up for the shit you put her through. And then talkin' to her that way yesterday about her little girl. Well, Ed, that right there was you pretty much steppin' on your own dick. You screwed yourself with that one, asshole."

"She was off screwin' your brother while my daughter was missing. How the hell is that my fault?" Ed growled.

"Ed, I don't think you are understandin' what we are tryin' to stress here." A new voice said from another corner of the room.

Carol craned her neck and saw Maggie standing there with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face.

"Listen to the girl, Ed. She's smart." Merle flashed him a toothy grin.

Maggie stepped up next to Merle and eyed all the men in the cages, arms crossed. "I'm only askin' this one more time. And if ya'll lie to me, I'll know about it by the end of the day cause your camp is gonna be raided. Were you all here the other day? Were you lurkin through our town packin' guns?"

All the men shook their heads. "We don't even carry our guns anymore, Lady. We don't have any ammo. Why would you find us last night unarmed if we were packing the kind of heat?" One of the men, the largest of the group, grumbled at Maggie.

"What are we gonna find at your camp today, fella's?" Merle asked. "We gonna be met with force? Cause your people should know that that wouldn't be very smart. We have ammo. And we have the manpower."

Carol watched as the men shared a look with one another. Something didn't sit well with her as they shared that look.

Ed finally spoke up. "Hell, by now the rest of our group probably thinks we are dead. I doubt they even stuck around. Probably took off this mornin'.

Carol finally came all the way down the stairs, making herself known. Merle smiled at her. "Good mornin'."

"Merle." She said dryly.

"We was just tryin' to get a little info outta these guys here. They ain't much for givin' up information though. But we figured that was how it was gonna be."

"Didn't they already say where their camp was?" Carol asked as she eyed Ed through his cage. The look he was giving her was dangerous. She met it with a smirk.

"Yeah, and then when asked again another one said about three miles south. Yesterday it was north. This tells me that there is a reason they are hidin' their location from us. Not sure why though."

"Really, Ed?" She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Just tell us where the fucking camp is. It'll make this easier. We'll find it one way or another. Daryl's the best tracker I've ever seen. He'll find it."

"Looks like that boyfriend of yours is just filled to the brim with skills." He snarled.

"Hey mother fucker," Merle growled, "You watch your tone with her before I rip your tongue out through your asshole."

Carol put her hand on Merle's arm. "It's okay. I need you to go get Daryl for me. Go eat, me and Kenzey made breakfast. I need to talk to him alone."

Merle was about to protest but Carol just smiled. He shook his head and then scowled at the cages and the men who occupied them.

"I'll stay. I'm armed." Maggie cut in. "Nothin's gonna happen, Merle."

"It wont matter. Daryl's gonna have a damn fit if I leave you here." He grumbled.

"I don't need a babysitter. Just go get him for me." Carol said hurriedly.

Merle shook his head and took off up the stairs, mumbling something about bossy ass women. Carol turned to Ed and glared.

"What do you say you let me out of here so we can go somewhere and talk. I know that's why you're down here." Ed said softly. "You were my wife for years. That has to still mean something to you. I know I was a bad guy but I really have changed. You know you want to give me a chance."

Carol couldn't keep the disgust off her face. "You're kidding?"

He looked at her, really looked at her. His beady eyes took in the length of her and it made her want to vomit. "Look at you. If I didn't know any better I would say the end of the world has done you a whole lot of good. What do you think boys? My wife is sure something to look at, huh?"

The other men nodded and grunted in agreement. She felt filthy under their gaze but she kept her chin up. He didn't feel intimidated by her or Maggie. He was taking advantage of the fact that there wasn't a Dixon here to scare him into shutting up.

"I ain't your wife Ed." Carol said. Maggie was close and Carol moved to stand even closer to her. It looked to the men like Carol was about to put her arm around Maggie's waist. But that wasn't what Carol had in mind.

"Oh, you were my wife, Carol. You should have seen her then boys. Nothin' like she is now. Would let a man do whatever the hell they wanted to her back then. Now I guess she has a taste for trash. Gettin' it on with them two brothers. It ain't like it was with me, is it Carol? Takes two of them to do what one of me could do?"

Carol felt her gorge rise in the back of her throat. She wanted to shut him up but she let him keep going. Maggie glanced at her from the corner of her eye but Carol shook her head.

"Are you ready to tell me where your camp is now, Ed?" She asked.

Ed must have been spurred on by the laughter of his friends because he looked more at ease now than he had since he got here. He smiled, causing his fat face to grow even more repulsive. "I'll tell you what, Bitch. You talk your pretty little girlfriend here into showin' us her tits and I'll tell you anything you wanna know."

Carol's hand had been resting on Maggie's lower back. Her fingers grazing the butt of the pistol Maggie had hanging out of her waistband. Carol jerked the gun out of Maggie's waistband so fast that the girl barely felt the gun graze her skin. Carol stepped up to Ed's cage, aimed and fired. Ed screamed and the other men ducked behind their cots.

"I dont like bein' called a bitch, Ed. You best remember that. You talk about Maggie that way again and next time I shoot you I'll make sure to take off that shriveled up little thing you call a dick. You got me?" She shot at him again as he rolled around on the floor, pieces of concrete flying right next to his head.

She only shot him in the knee but God did it feel good. Her and Maggie both flashed excited smiles before Maggie hugged her tightly around the waist. She hugged her back. She knew it was morbid but didn't care.

"Carol!" They heard someone yell and then feet pounding on the wooden steps. Lot's of feet. Daryl and Merle were first followed by Rick, Tyreese and Michonne. Carol hid the gun behind her back as her and Maggie glanced at each other guiltily.

It only took Daryl a few seconds to figure out what happened. He was mad too. "Give me the goddamn gun!" He held out his. "Now!" He roared.

Carol slipped Maggie the gun behind her back and then Maggie held it out to him.

"You did this?" He growled at Maggie.

"I don't know what you're talkin' about." She said as she lifted her chin and eyed him with a straight face.

Daryl glared at her and then those furious eyes found Carol's. "Do you know how bad you two just scared me? Down here playin' with these psycho's like there your damn barbie dolls. You two need to be separated or somethin'. First it's Merle and now it's Maggie. What the hell is wrong with you? You coulda gotten hurt."

"Daryl, their locked up in cages and we are both armed. No one coulda gotten hurt." She said sarcastically.

He flashed Ed a look. "I see that. But I wouldn't put it past either of you to let'em out. Why'd you shoot him in the knee?"

"He was bein' nasty." Maggie grimaced. "And he called Carol a bitch."

"He tried to get me to talk Maggie into showin' him her..."

"I get it. That's enough." Daryl looked her and Maggie over and then glanced at Ed's men who were just now climbing out from behind their cots. "Any of you have anything you wanna say to our women here?" He handed Carol the gun again. "You saw what she likes to do for fun boys. You wanna keep your knee caps then you best start talkin'. Wheres your camp?"

Maggie aimed her rifle at the biggest man and grinned wickedly. Carol kept the gun to her side but gazed at another caged man and winked.

"No takers?" Daryl asked and then turned to look at Merle and the others who were lining the wall behind him. Everyone looked very calm. He wondered how calm they would be when Maggie and Carol started shooting these guys in the legs. He knew the women would do just that too. Michonne actually looked on like she was jealous. He'd never met a bunch of females so bloodthirsty in all his life.

"North." One man croaked finally. "I told you the truth yesterday. Two miles north."

Daryl snatched the gun out of Carols hand and ignored the glare it earned him. "Maggie, you get. I don't care where you go but you two have done enough down here."

Maggie pouted but did as he said. She turned when she got to the stairs. "We have some things to talk about Carol. Come by later on." She winked and then darted up the stairs. Carol tried to hide the guilty look she knew was on her face but she didn't think it was working.

"The rest of you might as well go on too. Get some cars ready and we can leave out for that camp in about an hour." Daryl usually didn't take charge but Rick wasn't really Rick now days and took someone else standing up gladly.

When everyone was gone, even a reluctant Merle, Daryl finally stopped glaring at her and pulled her to him. "So, did you intend to come down here this mornin' and shoot that asshole in the kneecap?" He whispered in her ear.

She smiled. "I wasn't exactly sure what I was gonna do. So I just had Maggie meet me down here just in case. Had to get rid of Merle but that wasn't hard."

"And why was I left out of the loop? I'm suppose to be the best friend here. You used to tell me everything." He laughed.

"I ain't never been able to tell you everything, Dixon." She gave him a coy look and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Really?"

"Yeah." She kissed him softly.

"Can you guys take your hands off each other long enough to help me!" Ed roared from the floor of his cage. "There's a bullet in my leg. You just gonna let me bleed out?"

They both gave him an annoyed look, as though he had no right to interrupt their play. "Shut your fat mouth, Ed." Daryl grumbled. "Unless you want me to put another bullet somewhere."

"I'm goin' with you to this camp today, okay?" She said when he finally looked back at her. She thought maybe he was enjoying Ed bleeding on the floor a little too much.

"I'm thinkin' about who to take. You, of course," He said quickly before she could argue, "I'd like to have Tyreese but I like him on that wall. I guess him Rick and Glen need to stay. Me, you, Michonne and Merle should be enough. If we run into trouble the four of us should be able to handle it."

"You don't think Rick is gonna have a fit that you're the one makin' calls?" She asked.

He snorted. "Do you see him doin' anything? He's startin' to get on my nerves."

"He lost his wife, Daryl." She said softly.

"Yeah, and I've lost you before too but nobody seen me go all psycho over it. I couldn't let myself feel anything cause I was too damn busy takin' care of his kids. Pain is pain but come on! Carl is right. He needs to man up. He keeps this up and I'll take Judith myself. He probably wouldn't even notice. Be less stress on Beth anyway."

"Just give him some time to grieve. He'll come around." She said quietly. "We should get goin' soon. You have a date this afternoon."

He frowned. "Huh? A date with who?"

"With your kid, Daryl." She grinned.

He scoffed. "She ain't my kid. Shut up." His face turned red as though the thought was absurd.

"Can you two get me some help!" Ed yelped.

Daryl turned around quickly, face a mask of annoyance, and shot into the cage again. "I told you to shut your fat mouth you stupid bastard!" He growled. None of the bullets hit him but he squirmed around on the floor and screamed pitifully.

Daryl turned around and grinned at Carol as the other men, once more, dove behind their cots. She smiled at him and then started up the stairs. "Should we send Hershel down to fix him up?" She asked as he started to follow her.

He shrugged. "I ain't much worried about it, really. Unless you feel bad about his sufferin'?" He looked up at her with raised eyebrows. "I know how compassionate you are." He winked.

"You're cute." She said dryly as she turned back around and headed up the stairs once more.

The others weren't to hard to find since everyone tried to stay close to the gate and the apartment building. Daryl had sent Ben and Carl out earlier to patrol the fence so that was one less thing for him to worry about. He sent Merle to load one of the cars with extra guns. They never knew what they could run into out there. They could very well get stranded or run into a herd or anything and have to stay holed up for days. That was unlikely though. He'd get back. He had a date to keep.

"Hey!" He heard someone call out behind him. He turned and saw Maggie coming towards him holding Kenzey's hand. "Somebody wants to talk to you, Dixon." Maggie grinned.

"Hey, runt." He said as he bent down picked her up as he continued on over to the wall. Carrying her was faster than trying to match her pace. He glanced at her and was happy to see her smiling. She wasn't looking at him with that wary expression.

"You leavin'? She asked with a hint of worry in her voice.

"Yep. But I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Are you still gonna teach me today?" She asked, forcing his face over with her hand.

"Yep. As long as I get back in time."

She seemed to think about this news for a moment and then frowned. "If I could shoot already then I could go with you."

He laughed and smoothed out the worry lines on her small brow. "You don't need to go out there. You're too little. You got some growin' to do before I plan on lettin' you out of this gate."

"You plan on stickin' around long enough to see me be big enough to leave?" She asked, worry still clouding her face.

"I figured I'd stick around as long as you wanted me to." His voice was serious.

She nodded and finally gave him a grin. She hugged him tightly around the neck and then kissed him loudly on the cheek. "Don't take too long, Daryl." She said and then squirmed until he sat her down. Before he could say anything at all she darted off back towards Maggie. He looked on shaking his head.

Carol was coming out of the clinic with a bag that Hershel had thrown together for her. Now that they had supplies to spare they could take things they needed with them even if it was just a short run. Like the medical supplies Carol now had.

She paused and bent down to talk to the girl for a second and then kissed her forehead lightly before standing up and hugging Maggie tightly. He wondered when her and Maggie had become so close. It was like it just happened over night.

Merle and Michonne joined her and the three of them made for an intimidating sight. Merle always looked mean like that and Daryl figured that Michonne did too but that fierce look on Carol's face was still something he was getting used to.

"We just takin' the one vehicle?" Merle asked as they approached him.

"What do you think?" Daryl asked. Fuel wasn't such a big issue anymore but he still wasn't one to waste it if they didn't have to.

Merle thought about it for a second and shrugged. That guy gave me pretty plain directions, as long as he's tellin' the truth. There's a cabin not far from the road. Drives overgrown and hard to see. That's where he said we'd find the rest of his group."

Daryl heard something in Merle's tone that he didn't really like. "Whats got you thinkin', Merle?" He asked.

Merle just shook his head. "I don't know. They were all too secretive about this camp of theirs. Makes me wonder why. What do those assholes have to hide?"

"You never know, though," Michonne said absently, "Just cause this Ed guy is some sort of creep doesn't mean that the rest of them are."

Merle shook his head. "I don't know. There's somethin' off about all of'em. I know men like them. I've spend the better part of my life runnin' around with the likes of Ed and those men, they are just like him."

They decided on just one car, the one that Merle had already stored the extra guns in. The ride was short and uneventful. Daryl drove on past the overgrown drive about a quarter mile down the road. He didn't want to just pull in and let everyone at the camp know they were there. He'd rather sneak up on them. Watch them for a while. See what he could make of them. If everything was as it should be then he'd let Ed's men go. But Ed himself wasn't goin' anywhere. But if this was a camp of fifteen people, and they had four at Woodbury then they were still outnumbered by seven people. But Daryl doubted that his own group would be outgunned or outskilled.

He adjusted the crossbow on his back, gave Merle the bag of extra guns and started towards the trees. They stayed silent and watchful but they seen nothing amiss. Daryl was hoping that the group didn't think the others were dead and just pack up and leave. But he doubted that. If they had a semi safe place here in this cabin then they would stay as long as they could. That was how life on the road was.

There wasn't really a clearing. Just a thinning of the trees and then the cabin. It wasn't as small as Daryl had expected. But it was old and right now it was pretty quiet. They all crouched down and watched for a while. They were just about to move closer when the front door opened and three men came out. They were all burly and bearded. None of them had a gun as far as Daryl could tell. Unfortunately they turned and headed right in their direction. They all hurried backwards, keeping low to the ground.

"We just gonna go ahead and kill her like the last?" One of the men grumbled as they stopped right at the treeline.

Merle and Daryl shared a look along with Carol and Michonne. Talk of killing people wasn't something they expected to hear from guys that were suppose to be okay people.

They all heard the sound of running water and realized that the three men were relieving themselves not far away.

"Hell no. I don't care what the others say, I'm gonna have my fun with the bitch before we toss her aside. Ed and Davis just told us to leave her be cause they wasn't done with her themselves. That's bullshit. I'm takin' my turn with her today."

"What about that kid of hers?" Another one asked.

"Fuck it, he ain't no use to us. Not unless you got a thing for little boys. You got yourself a thing for little boy, Rodger?" They laughed.

"What about the other women?" One asked.

"I don't know. I think we should keep'em around a few more days. Have some fun with them till their bout half dead and then toss'em out. Let these Walkers have themselves a meal of'em.

Daryl saw the change in Carol's face as they listened to the men talk. He was trying to devise a plan but when she got that look it usually meant that her idea of a plan was already in action.

She stood up quickly and moved into view. "Hello." She said in a low voice.

Daryl, Merle and Michonne all scooted further away from her. They were going to go around behind the three men, hopefully without getting spotted from anyone in the house. Daryl was really gonna have to have a talk with her when they got back. She did something stupid every single time they found themselves in a dangerous situation. But Merle had been right. This was why those men didn't want them to find their camp. They were murderers. Not in the same since that Daryl was a murderer. These men didn't kill to protect themselves or the people they loved. They killed for fun.

"What the hell?" The man in the middle muttered. "Are you guys seein' this?"

"Hey, honey, what are you doin' over there? Don't you know it ain't safe in them woods?" Another man said with a smile.

"Broke down on the road a few miles back." Carol said with a smile of her own.

"Well, come a little closer and we'll talk about helpin' you out with that. Pretty thing like you don't need to be goin' anywhere alone."

Daryl clenched his teeth as he ghosted through the trees.

He could still hear Carol's footsteps, intentionally loud, moving closer to the men. "You think I can get a little rest in that cabin of yours?" She asked as she smiled at them.

"You hand over that gun, darlin', and you can do just that. We'll let you have it back of course."

"Yes sir," Carol muttered as she eased the rifle around. She had no intentions of using it, of course. That would bring anyone in the house and any Walkers in the area down on them. She was about to hand it over when the man on the right gasped and then fell to the ground. Michonne was standing behind him, bloody sword still held at the ready. The middle guy dropped next, Merle's nifty knife attachment stabbing him through the throat and then came the last one. Daryl was less graceful than the other two had been. Where their kills were pretty clean Daryl jerked the guys head back by the hair and slit his throat, then tossing him down to bleed to death right there.

"Well, that's some bullshit." Carol muttered as she crossed her arms over her chest angrily. "I didn't get to kill any!"

They drug the bodies further into the woods and then Daryl drove his knife into each of their skulls. Soon someone would come looking for them, hopefully unarmed. The men back at Woodbury had said that they had guns but no ammo so hopefully that was true.

Sure enough after another couple of minutes someone else came out. This was a younger man, less haggard and worn looking than the ones they had seen so far.

"Rodger? Dennis? Where the hell are you all?" He called quietly. He started for the woods angrily.

Carol repeated what she had done earlier but this time she got close enough to stab the guy herself. She made it quick. The dagger slipping right under his sternum and into his heart.

"That was really good." Daryl whispered when she crouched back down beside him.

"Thanks." She laughed and then bumped his shoulder with her own.

"There's only three left in the house. You think we should go for it? You never know what they could be doing to those women in there." Michonne said quietly. She looked as disgusted as Daryl felt.

"Your call baby brother." Merle said as he glanced back towards the house. "Whatever we find in there is probably gonna be ugly. Ya'll need to know that now."

"Get your guns ready." Daryl said as he too looked at the cabin, "Go in low. We wont have time to take any of the men with us, even though I'd like to drag out their death for a few days. Shoot to kill."

They hurried towards the cabin, not bothering to be quiet on the rickety wooden porch. Merle was the first in since he was the one to kick open the door. There was a large living room with a couch pushed up against the wall. Three men were starting to get up from the couch, all of them looking quite confused. They weren't armed so Merle and Daryl rushed at them, knives at the ready. It was over faster than they could have imagined.

Carol and Michonne went to the closest door and kicked it open. It was an empty room. They went into another room and there they found the women that the men had been talking about. One was lying on the floor and Carol wasn't even sure if she was alive or not. She was a tiny thing though. She couldn't have been five feet tall. She had red hair and a smattering of freckles across the part of her face that wasn't bruised.

The other two weren't in as bad a shape as the tiny red head. They cowered in the corner and they two wore bruises on their faces and arms.

"Daryl!" Carol called loudly.

He came into the room with Merle right on his heels and then they both froze when they saw the women. Daryl's eyes found hers and he seemed to calm down a bit.

"Daryl, I need you to go get the car. Okay?" She said firmly. He nodded and took off at a run.

"Merle, can you move her to the couch for me?" She asked, expecting him to jump into action like Daryl had done, but he didn't. He stood there, looking dumbstruck. "Merle!" She said, her voice louder.

He came further into the room and looked down on the unconscious woman then looked at the two that were huddled together in the corner.

"Merle, can you take her to the couch for me?" Carol asked again.

He shook his head. "I'll hurt her." He choked.

"They've already hurt her, Mister. Those men that left out yesterday damn near broke her." One of the women said through her tears.

"What's her name?" Carol asked frantically.

"Emily. Her name's Emily. Who are you people?" The woman asked.

"We're the people that are gonna save your asses. What did those men do to her?"

They looked at each other and then down at their friend. They beat on her today. The men that are here now. But there's others and they're worse. They've raped her, we know that. I don't know what they've done to her son. They may have killed him."

Carol knew the woman's son was still alive. She heard them talking about the boy outside. She looked back up at Merle but he was still standing there, pretty much useless.

"Merle, you wont hurt her. Please just pick her up so we can get her out of here. I have to go look for her son."

Just then the woman reached out and clutched Carols arm weakly. "They have my son. If Ed and the others come back soon they're gonna kill him." Her voice sounded as dry as the Mojave.

Carol brushed some hair out of the woman's face and tried to smile at her. "Your boy is gonna be just fine. You'll all be just fine, okay." She didn't know how the woman was still alive. She had obviously taken some pretty bad beatings and she was just so small that Carol had a hard time imagining how ravaged her body must be. But under the bruises and swollen flesh of her face her features were delicate, still lovely to look at. Her eyes were cracked open and she shifted and then groaned, clutching Carol's hand tighter.

They heard the car then. "Thank God." Carol breathed. "Merle, please just pick her up and take her to the car. I have to help Daryl find that boy. She can't walk on her own."

Still Merle didn't listen.

Now she was getting pissed. "Goddamn it, Merle! I can't carry her myself! Get your ass over here! She needs help! Now!"

He glared at her. "When the fuck did you get so bossy?"

"Merle, please!" She growled.

God, woman! Shut the fuck up! I'm gonna get her, okay? How the fuck does Daryl put up with you? All you do is nag."

Carol moved over while Merle knelt down so he could pick the woman up. When she saw him there her eyes grew wide.

"Please, don't hurt me."

Merle looked like a deer caught in the headlights. His arms dropped to his sides. "Carol, how the fuck could they do that to her? Look how little she is."

Carol dropped to her knees and took the woman's hand again. "This is Merle." She crooned. "He's my..." She cleared her throat, "He's my brother and he isn't gonna hurt you. He's gonna help me get you out of here so I can go get your boy. Okay? Will you let him help you?"

The woman turned her feverish brown eyes up to Merle. "Just don't let them. Don't let them touch me anymore, okay."

Merle's nostrils flared and he shook his head slowly. "I'll kill the next mother fucker that tries to lay a hand on you, ma'am."

"Damn it, Merle, Watch your mouth." Carol whispered but the woman's lips twitched and she leaned up just enough for him to slide his arm under her back, then his other arm went behind her knees, he lifted her off the floor slowly but she sucked in a sharp breath before she wrapped her arms around his neck. He shot Carol a panicked look.

"It's okay, Merle. We need to hurry though. Get her to the car."

He moved as fast as he could without hurting the woman anymore than she was already hurt. Daryl came in to help Michonne coax the other two woman out of the room. They were scared and beaten There was a car behind the cabin that he hoped would start. Now he wanted to kick himself in the ass for not bringing two cars.

Carol found the boy in the loft, tied to a beam. He seemed to be okay, physically. He was about Carl's age.

"We're here to help." She said as she tried to untie the ropes. Finally she gave up and took out one of the daggers, just her luck it was one of the ones with dried blood all over it, and cut them. The boy didn't ask any questions, he just went right with her.

When they got to the porch he looked around and finally spoke. "Where's my mom?"

Just then a red car came flying around the side of the house. Daryl was in the drivers seat and the other two women from the room were in the back. That meant Merle and Michonne were already gone in their car. Carol and the boy hurried in, slamming the doors shut behind them.

"Who are you people?" The boy asked. "And where is my mom? Did they? Is she dead?"

"We're the people that just saved your ass, boy." Daryl said as he glanced in the mirror. "And your momma's okay. My brother is takin' her to a doctor right now."

"Doctor?" The blonde woman asked. "There are no doctors anymore."

"We have a town a few miles south. There's a doctor there." Carol said, turning in her seat to get a look at the women. They weren't near as bad as the boys mom but they still needed looked at.

Amazingly Daryl pulled up to the gate right as Merle was getting out of the drivers seat. Rick was just climbing down the other side of the wall to open the gate. Daryl hurried the women and the boy out of the car. He was almost dragging Carol towards the car Merle had taken.

"How is she?" Daryl asked as Merle lifted her out of the back seat. She seemed to have lost consciousness again, her head rolling to one side while Merle struggled to adjust her.

"She's alive." He said.

Michonne, go on ahead and tell Hershel that he needs to get that exam room ready. Tell him..." Daryl wasn't sure what to say, "Just tell him it's bad, okay."

Michonne took off, squeezing through the partially opened gate. Daryl walked with Merle and the boy who wouldn't leave his moms side. Carol put a hand on the boys shoulder but he didn't even seem to notice the touch. The other women trailed behind, looking quite dazed themselves.

Daryl went inside the clinic with his brother and Carol. He told the two women and the boy to wait in the waiting room while he filed into the exam room with the rest of them. Hershel had the bed ready along with an assortment of supplies. He wasn't sure what he was going to need since he didn't really know the woman's condition. Hershel looked grim as he gestured towards the bed.

Merle was about to lay her on down when her eyes snapped open and she gripped the front of his shirt. She looked around frantically and then her eyes found Merle's and she seemed to relax. He glanced up at Hershel and then back down at her. "This here is Hershel. He's our doctor. You ain't gotta be scared of him, okay? He's gonna fix you right up." He said in a comforting voice that Daryl didn't even recognize. "We got a lot of good people here. You ain't got nothin' to worry about anymore."

She finally nodded and loosened her grip on his shirt. He moved as slow as he could and laid her down gently on the bed and then scooted her to the center. Her head once again fell to one side as she drifted into unconsciousness once more.

Daryl was still watching Merle worriedly and then he frowned. "Merle, did you hurt yourself somehow?" He asked.

Merle shook his head and tore his gaze away from the woman long enough to glance up at Daryl. He followed Daryl's eyes to his own arm and noticed fresh blood smeared there. His eyes moved from his arm to the red stained sheet next to the woman's thigh where he had scooted her to the middle of the bed. There was more blood that had soaked through the front of her pale yellow skirt.

Daryl saw Merle's face go deathly pale and then he followed his eyes and saw the blood. He turned his head away quickly and then he heard Carol gasp.

"Little brother, you go ahead and take her boy to Beth. Her and Carl are at your place. Now." His voice was quiet but he couldn't hide the rage that was boiling there.

Daryl gripped Carol's shoulder's and kissed her forehead before he hurried to the door. He didn't want to be in the room anymore.

"Daryl." Merle said quietly.

Daryl turned in the open doorway.

"Don't touch'em. Don't nobody touch any of them sons of bitches until I get there. You hear what I'm sayin'?"

Daryl nodded but Merle didn't see it. He was still looking down at the broken woman on the bed. Daryl's brow pulled down in a worried frown and he looked towards Carol. She was staring at the floor. She must have felt his eyes on her because she looked up. Her face was pale and her eyes were filled with tears. She offered him a brave smile that he couldn't bring himself to return and then he left the room, shutting the door firmly behind him.

"What's your name, kid?" He asked the boy.

"Adam." The boy answered in a low voice.

"Well, Adam. I'm Daryl. Your momma's in good hands right now but there ain't nothin' you can do here. Why don't you come on with me?"

Adam looked up and then shook his head. "I tried to protect her. It's my fault she's in there in the first place. I have to wait. I want to see her."

"Look, kid. You get that shit out of your head right now. Ain't nothin' that happened in that cabin was anybody's fault. We spend so much fuckin' time fightin' the dead that we forget that it's the livin' we gotta fear. Now come on. Sittin' here worryin' yourself to death ain't gonna help your momma one bit."

Adam went with him and was quiet the whole way. When Daryl stepped into the apartment he was barely able to catch Kenzey as she barreled into him. He scooped her up, which was becoming their thing. It was either that or let her take his legs out from under him. She grinned and got him in one her signiture choke hold hugs and he found that he actually needed it. He hugged her back. For a second his mind wondered to grim possibilities. What if those men had found the town before they got here. What if they had been the ones to find her instead of Merle? She must have felt his tension because she let go of his neck and touched the side of his face with her hand.

"You okay?" She asked worriedly, that little crease forming between her eyebrows.

"I'm okay." He said gruffly and then absently wiped what looked like chocolate off the side of her mouth with his thumb.

"Beth and me made you somethin' but it wont be ready till later." She said

"Did ya now? First you cook me breakfast and then you made me presents? All in just a day, huh? I'm a lucky man." That tension he was feeling was uncoiling the more he talked to her.

She nodded. "I guess you really are." She sounded so serious that everybody laughed, even Adam, who Daryl had almost forgotten about.

"Beth, Carl, this is Adam. He's had a real shitty day so entertain him or somethin'. I gotta go." He said glumly. He really just wanted to stay there.

"We ain't gonna be shootin' are we?" Kenzey asked.

"Not today. Somethin' big came up and now there's some people we gotta help."

She nodded, face serious. "Okay."

"That's it? I thought kids were suppose to throw fits when they didn't get their way." He smiled.

She shrugged. "People need help so we gotta help'em."

He couldn't help but stare at her. She was smart. Too smart. "You're a pretty good kid, you know that?"

She grinned and he sat her down. "Beth?"

She looked up, smiling. "Yeah?"

"Thanks." He said as he slipped back out the door.

Daryl made his way slowly down the street. He wasn't in much of a hurry to get to that basement. The same basement that him and Merle had been held in. The one he thought he would die in. That had been less than a week ago. It was crazy to think about how much things could change in less than a week. He blew out a heavy breath and then made his way to the basement.

Rick and Glen were there, standing against the wall. Rick had seen them come in but didn't know any details. Daryl pulled them off to the side. Away from the caged men so he could explain what had happened. The looks on their faces told him that they were just as disgusted as he was. He didn't give them anymore details than he had too.

Merle was gripping the bed rail so hard that he was amazed that it didn't snap off in his hand. He kept his eyes trained on the woman's face while Carol and Maggie helped Hershel try to repair her body. He couldn't concentrate on their conversation because of the frantic pounding of his pulse in his ears. Only bits and pieces of what they were saying were actually registering in his mind.

"...keep her sedated..."

"...how she could have survived this..."

"...never seen anything like this..."

"...couldn't imagine the pain..."

Small beads of sweat were appearing on her forehead and he forced his hand to let go of the rail so he could wipe the sweat away with the washcloth Carol had given him earlier.

He was having trouble keeping his breathing steady. The hand that was gently wiping the woman's forehead was shaking badly and his stomach was rolling with nausea.

"Merle?"

He looked up at the sound of Carol's gentle voice.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

His eyes drifted down from her face to her hands. Blood. Quickly he moved his eyes back up to the unconscious woman's face but it didn't do much to calm him anymore. There was more blood there, long dried from cuts on her face. The purple rings under her eyes. Bruised nose that was still bleeding. Bruising around her slender neck. The top of her shirt ripped down far enough for him to see more bruises that were in the shape of large fingers across the very top of one breast.

Hershel's quiet voice suddenly filled his head like the man was screaming into his brain. "Just a few more stitches and..."

Merle pushed himself away from the bed and backed out the door. By the time he was outside of the building he had to stop there in the grass and vomit.

"The fucks wrong with me?" He asked out loud as he leaned against the warm bricks. The minute he'd seen that woman there on the floor in that god forsaken cabin, something inside him seemed to give way. To break. He'd frozen up and all he could think about was how small she was and how afraid he was to even go near her. Like he would break her if he got too close. One wrong move on his part and she would shatter like glass. Fear. Cold like a stone had settled into him.

"Merle Dixon ain't afraid of shit!" He mumbled to himself as he shoved away from the wall and began pacing the small grassy yard.

He wondered if the woman would ever recover from something like that. Wondered if she would ever be able to laugh and carry on with her life. Would she ever trust another man, love another man? Or would she spend the rest of her life afraid and humiliated as she relived the pain of her memories?

"It ain't none of my damn business!" He spat.

Where was this coming from? He'd seen lot's of men do bad things. To their women, to their kids and to each other. Hell, he had even watched a few times as Carol got her ass kicked by Ed. He never felt anything then.

Of course, the thought of Ed touching her now pissed him off. But now was different. Carol was his family. His sister. Even if she was a major pain in his ass sometimes and her attitude was awful and her temper was worse than his own. She still made him want to be a better man. Just because she believed he could and he wanted to prove her right. He loved her. She was the only woman he'd probably ever love. Not the same way he knew Daryl loved her. He loved her like he would love any annoying, bossy, trigger happy little sister. Him caring about Carol made perfect sense to him. But his reaction to this woman was different. He didn't want to care.

His mind chose that moment to assault him with an image of Carols hands. Hands covered in the woman's blood. Blood spilled by men who had had no business with the woman who, he was sure, had never done any wrong to them. No business scaring her. No business hitting her. And definitely had no business forcing themselves inside her.

Before he even realized what he was going to do he was running. He ran as fast and as hard as he had ever ran in his life. Right towards the building that now housed the men who had done this.

Merle Dixon was a man that was used to getting what he wanted. He never let anyone get in his way. And right now Merle Dixon was a man on a mission. He was a man determined to get his revenge and find his redemption.


	15. Chapter 15

**Sorry about skipping a day. I really try to shell out a chapter a day but sometimes I just can't do it. Your reviews are unbelievable so thank you! I hope you all like this chapter as much as you have liked the others. This Emily is turning into quite the character. I wasn't sure what kind of person she should be to best compliment everyone else so I sort of just stopped thinking about it and just started typing. It was actually really fun. I think you'll like her ;) Anyway, enough is enough. Happy reading to ya =)**

Chapter Fifteen

Daryl kept glancing at the caged men. None of them had said anything but by the looks of fear on their faces they knew that something bad was coming their way. He was worried about his brother. Merle had done his share of surprising him all week. The way he had quickly found himself within the group. Working to keep them all safe. Biting his tongue when Daryl knew he really wanted to pitch a fit. The way he unashamedly embraced that strange thing he had with Carol. Hell, Daryl himself had battled himself over his own strange relationship he had with Carol. Argued with himself and refused to admit that she was the most important thing in his life. But not Merle. Merle dove right in head first where she was concerned.

But the strange hold that that poor woman had over Merle was alien to Daryl. He understood why Carol meant so much to the man. She meant that much to every life she graced. That was just who she was. But this woman was a stranger. What these men did to her made Daryl sick to his stomach and filled him with fury but he'd not lost it like Merle had. Merle was cold as stone and just as hard. But he saw in his face that something inside Merle had shifted over this woman. Saw it happen with his own eyes. These men had a damn good reason to be afraid right now.

He decided to have a last conversation of sorts with Ed, since he knew that the man didn't have much longer. He sauntered up to the cage, feeling quite sick but not letting Ed see it.

"How's that knee of yours?" He asked, forcing a friendly tone.

Ed looked up from his cot, sweat pouring off his face as he tried to deal with his pain. It was one thing to dish it out but quite another, obviously, to take it. "It's killin' me." He spat. "And you know it."

Daryl gave him a smirk. "Wish it'd hurry up."

Ed glared. "You think you're something else, don't you pretty boy?"

That just about made Daryl come unglued. He hid the laughter that was ready to erupt from him. He'd never been called that before but compared to the ugly lump that was Ed sitting there he probably was kind of pretty. He cleared his throat. "Nah, I don't think I'm much of anything special. Thanks though, it ain't every day a man gets to hear another man call him pretty. Boostin' my ego, Ed.

"You think you're somethin' cause of Carol." He spat out her name like it left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Oh come on now, Ed. How long you gonna hold that against me, huh? Is it really a surprise to you that she moved on?" Daryl was serious. He wanted to know how Ed could possibly think that there was any other outcome other than Carol moving on.

"You don't know shit about her." Ed snarled. "A woman like that needs a firm hand. Keep her wild ass in check. You see what she did to me? I've heard stories about her. I've heard the way she talks now. You think that's how a woman is suppose to be? Fighting like a man and talkin' back with that filthy mouth she's got now?" He snorted like Daryl was an idiot.

Daryl laughed. He wasn't usually one to boast. He kept things to himself. His private life was his private life. It was that simple. So he channeled his inner Merle and then he thought of the things him and Carol had done the night before. "No Ed. You're the one that don't know shit about her. The things that woman can do with that filthy mouth could really bring a man to his knees. Had me tremblin' like a fuckin' leaf in the breeze. Maybe if you hadn't treated her like a piece of garbage you'd have gotten to enjoy the kinds of things that I get to enjoy. Any damn time I'd like. And unlike you and your friends here, I don't have to take it, she's more than willin' to give it to me."

"You're bluffin." Ed grumbled. "That woman is an ice queen. She wouldn't know how to please a man if her life depended on it."

Daryl didn't try to hide his laughter this time. He shook his head and looked on at Ed sadly. "You poor bastard. Married to the woman for that long and never once got a reaction out of her, huh? Seems to me like it must have just been you. Is that why you liked to hit her? Cause that was the only way you could prove that you were a man? Cause you didn't have it in the sack? Oh, man. This is good. I'm glad I finally got it figured out."

"Go to hell Dixon. I was married to the woman for thirteen years. I think I know her. It wasn't me. It was her. You probably haven't sealed the deal at all." He grumbled as he held the white sheet firmly against his knee.

Daryl pulled up a metal folding chair and sat down right in front of the cage. "Really?" He leaned forward, grinning. "She's got this birthmark, way up high on her inner thigh. It's shaped just like a crescent moon. Come on now, Ed. You know how close a man has to be to her to get a good look at that tiny thing?"

Ed's face turned crimson. "When I get out of here I'm gonna kill that whore while you and your brother watch."

Daryl kept the grin on his face, ignoring his empty threats. He was having too much fun now. Rick and Glen were listening just a few feet away but he didn't even care. "She probably made sure the lights stayed out. I have a feelin' you ain't much to look at without your clothes on so you probably never had a chance to see that little birthmark. That's a damn shame too, Ed. Cause it's pretty damn sexy." He moved his face closer to the cage. "Nah, you couldn't be more wrong Ed. She's no ice queen at all, it just takes a real man to heat her up. And you ain't no man."

"Fuck you, Dixon!" He screamed.

"Come on, Ed. Don't be like that. I thought we were bondin' here, man."

Ed turned his head and refused to look at him anymore. He didn't say anything else either so, with a disappointed sigh, Daryl got up and moved the chair back against the wall. Rick and Glen were laughing quietly.

Suddenly there was a large crash from above as the door at the top of the stairs was kicked open and banged off the wall. They all heard the wood splintering on impact. Daryl had his crossbow ready by the time Rick drew his gun. Whoever it was, they were bolting down the stairs so fast that the other men couldn't even make out any individual steps.

Merle suddenly appeared at the bottom of the stairs and both Rick and Daryl lowered their weapons. When Daryl saw the enraged look on his brothers face he thought the worst. His heart sank.

"Is she? Did she make it?" Daryl asked as his stomach twisted painfully.

Merle wasn't looking at him. He was looking past him towards the men in their cages.

"Merle?" He pressed.

"She ain't dead." He snapped, finally looking Daryl in the eye. "Doc is stitchin' her back together, far as I know."

Daryl had to swallow back the bile that rose in the back of his throat.

"But you said that she wasn't cut up or anything." Glen said with a frown and then realization dawned on him and his face paled.

"Jesus Christ." Rick whispered shaking his head as though that would make the image go away.

"Yeah. The other women told Carol that it was them four. Said it had been goin' on a few days now. So I intend to return them the favor. Drag this out real slow like." Merle's voice was strange, like a cold monotone.

"Merle, I know your pissed off right now but just wait a second." Rick said as he held up his hands.

"No." Merle growled.

Just then they heard feet on the stairs again. They were much quieter than Merle's had been. Carol appeared then at the bottom of the stairs and took in the scene in front of her. Her eyes settled on Merle and she went to him, unafraid of the dangerous look on his face. She touched his arm gently but she may as well have stabbed him by the way he jerked away from her and stepped back.

She held her hands up. "It's okay."

He just looked at her as she approached him once more. Rick took a step towards them but Daryl grabbed his arm and pulled him back, shaking his head. If anyone was going to break through Merle's rage it was Carol. He knew Merle wouldn't hurt her.

She placed her hands flat on his chest and looked up at him. He finally gave in to the comfort she offered and swiftly hugged her to him. His breathing was ragged next to her ear. She locked her arms around his neck, not caring that everyone was staring at them. She was getting used to that.

"What are you gonna do, Merle?" She asked quietly, her voice as soothing as she could make it.

He pulled away slightly, just enough so he could look at her. "You saw it. What they did to that woman. You were covered in her blood." he said quietly, looking at her with eyes still glazed with his rage.

She nodded. "I know."

"How's she doin'?" He whispered as he pulled her hands from around his neck. He looked down at her hands and saw that there was still blood under her nails and in the creases of her knuckles. She must have scrubbed up in a hurry.

"She's still out of it. Hershel wants to keep her that way for a while. He thinks it'll be better. She's hooked up to Morphine. Thank God we found it. She would have been in a lot of pain if we hadn't. Now when she finally wakes up she'll at least be kind of comfortable." Carol pulled away from him and stepped back just as Maggie came down the stairs.

"Merle." She said gently and to everyone, even Merle's, astonishment she threw herself at him. Her shoulders shook with her sobs. His arm went around her waist but he looked more scared of her than anything.

"Hey now, girl. It's alright." He crooned as he pulled her back a little and brushed her hair back from her face as he still held her awkwardly.

Daryl glanced over at Glen and was surprised to see that he was fine with the scene in front of him. He guessed it was the same way Daryl was usually fine with Merle when it came to Carol. Glen still looked sick though, Daryl had kept the gruesome details to himself. Hell, he was half tempted to offer the poor kid a hug himself.

"Merle," Maggie looked up and he absently wiped the tears off her face, "I'm helpin'. I wanna watch these men die. I have too."

"Are any of you planning on telling us what the hell is going on here?" One of the men asked.

Maggie looked passed Merle and then lunged at the cage like a wild animal. "You almost killed her you sick bastards!" She shrieked as Merle tried to hold her back by the waist. "And I'm gonna watch your asses bleed for what you did!"

Carol stepped in then, grabbing Maggie by the hand and pulling her away from the cage and Merle. She went willingly enough but she kept glancing back and glaring at the men. Carol let her hand go but still stayed close to her.

"Is that what all this is about?" Ed grimaced. "Some stupid woman that didn't have any business on the road to begin with? We kept her from getting eaten, she owed us."

Maggie and Merle both hit Eds cage at the same time. Somehow Maggie had the keys and she was quickly unlocking the door. Everyone else was frozen in place, not sure what to do as they reeled at what Ed had had the audacity to say to them.

Ed cried out as Maggie rushed him, slamming her boot heel into his injured knee. Merle threw him to the floor, face down, and stomped on his back while Maggie kicked him in the side of the head. Finally Daryl snapped out of his daze and ran, with Rick on his heels, to the cage. He tried to jerk Merle away from Ed but it wasn't easy. Merle had blind rage on his side and he was bigger than Daryl. Rick finally grabbed at Merle also and the two of them wrestled him out of the cage. But Maggie wouldn't stop. Ed was whimpering like a beaten animal as she kicked him over and over again.

Carol grabbed her hand and was finally able to pull her away from the man. She fought to get back at him but Carol's grip was tight. She wasn't letting go.

Merle shoved Rick out of the way as Glen came to help Carol hold Maggie.

"Merle?" A soft voice said from the stairs.

"Beth?" Maggie breathed as she glanced up. She stopped her struggling, as did Merle.

Daryl let go of Merle once he seemed calmed down enough. Beth didn't pay anybody else any mind. She walked right up to Merle, no fear in her face, and smiled up at him sweetly.

What the hell was with all these crazy women when it came to Merle? Daryl thought.

"Emily woke up and was askin' about you." Beth said.

"Emily?" Merle frowned in confusion.

"That's her name, Emily. She wanted me to come find you but daddy says you don't have to come cause she'll be asleep again by the time you get there."

Daryl almost started to panic. "Beth, where's..."

"Kenzey? She's with daddy and Michonne at the clinic. She's fine. Adam wanted to see his momma. I didn't think you would want her down here so I left her." She glanced behind them to the cages.

Daryl nodded. "I don't want you down here either, Beth." He said as he glanced behind him. Ed was trying to get up but he was having a hard time. Good. It looked like Maggie had done a lot of damage to his face.

Beth glanced back at Merle. "Walk with me?" She asked as she held out her hand.

He took it, like he was in a daze, and went with her up the stairs.

"Maggie?" Glen tried to get her attention but she didn't seem to hear him. Finally he took her by the hand and led her up the stairs.

Carol, Rick and Daryl stood there for a long time without speaking. Daryl kept his hand on her back, not trusting her. Maggie and Merle had done enough damage for today. He knew what was coming. He just wasn't sure what Rick was going to have to say about it.

"This is bad." Rick muttered as he rubbed the back of his neck warily. "What the hell are we suppose to do with them?" He gestured towards the cages. The other three men looked petrified.

"Give them to Merle." Carol said softly.

Rick eyed her and then shook his head. "We can't do that, Carol. We're not animals. We're still human."

"That's where you're wrong, Rick." Carol snapped. "We're somethin' in the middle. We're like a pack of wild animals. We protect that pack at all cost and we meet a threat with violence and death. Old rules don't apply here anymore."

"But you are the one that said to let them in." Rick said quietly.

"You ever think that maybe it was so I could kill him myself? On my own terms? And if I hadn't have said to let them in then that woman up there would be dead. She's damn lucky to be alive. And she'll never be the same. Not after somethin' like that. Merle wants them, give them to him."

Rick studied her for a while and then nodded. "Tomorrow then. We'll give them a night to think on the things they've done. Let Ed there suffer a little. You sure this is the best thing to do?"

"They don't deserve a quick death, Rick. Not one of them." She hissed. She reached back and grabbed Daryl's hand.

Merle looked over at the girl walking with him. She kept her hand firmly in his and every now and then she would look over and give him a smile. She squeezed his hand a little before stopping in front of the steps to the clinic. She looked up, her face almost to kind for him to look at for long.

"What you did for her was real sweet, Merle. I wasn't sure about you at first. You scared me a bit, but I was wrong. You're a real good man. I don't say much but I see a whole lot. I'm glad you're with us."

Merle didn't know what to say. A part of him wanted to scoff at the girl and tell her she was a dumb ass for thinking that way about somebody like him. The other part, the bigger part, to his dismay, wanted to smile at this girls kindness. That last part won. He was too tired to be an asshole. Today anyway.

Merle and Beth entered the clinic still hand in hand. Carl's eyes narrowed until he caught Merle watching and then he just looked away. Michonne was there talking to Hershel behind the reception desk and that little girl was sitting cross legged on the floor with a coloring book.

She looked up quickly, eyed him for a second and then looked back down at her book. "Is Daryl alright?" She asked before meeting his eyes once more.

He nodded. "He's fine."

"Carol? Is she okay?"

"Right as rain I'm guessin'. He said.

She just nodded.

Hershel looked up then and gave him a nod. "Sorry, Merle. She's out like a light again. I told Beth that she would be but she thought you'd like to know that she was askin' about you. You could relieve Tyreese on the wall and if she asked about you again I can give you a yell, if you'd like.

Merle nodded. "Sounds good Doc."

Daryl kept a firm grip on her hand as they made their way towards the wall. Niether had said a word since leaving that basement and he couldn't really gauge her mood by the look on her face. She had learned that from him. He wished she hadn't.

"You okay?" He finally asked as they neared the clinic.

She gave him a soft smile and shrugged. "A little worried, I guess."

"About those men?" He asked, his voice growing dark.

She scoffed. "Let'em burn." She shook her head. "Worried about Merle and Maggie mostly. I guess I'm worried about all of us."

"I see the worryin' about those two. Why the rest?"

She stopped right outside the clinic. "Things are changin' pretty fast, you know?" She dropped his hand.

He wasn't sure what she was talking about so he just waited for her to elaborate. When she didn't he took in a shaky breath, dread causing his heartbeat to pick up. She was probably talking about them. From the second she cut him down from those ropes in that basement it had been like a whirlwind with them. Things happened so fast after such a slow build up that she was probably freaking out about it. And now there was even a kid thrown into the mix. Yeah, she was probably going to tell him that things were going to fast. Then she would probably get her own place so she could put a little distance between them. Then he would be left alone to take care of a kid by himself while she moved on to someone that deserved her a little more than he did. Somebody like Rick.

"What the hell are you looking at me like that for?" She asked suddenly.

"Like what?" He asked, maybe a little too harshly.

She frowned and then looked away. "I was thinkin' about what they did to Emily. And how it was like nothin' to them."

His pulse slowed to a more normal pace and he suddenly felt stupid for his earlier assumptions. "There's always been people like that. Even before all this." He said.

She nodded. "I know. But it seems like maybe this world makes it easier for people like that to survive. And harder for us."

"I don't think that's true. Look at us." He made a swooping gesture with his arms and snorted. "We're the baddest mother fuckers I've ever met. We kick ass, woman. Most dangerous group this side of Armageddon."

She laughed. "Really, Daryl?"

"I'm serious. People like Ed and his group, they feed off the weak. That's how they survive. People like us," He shook his head and laughed, "We feed off them. Other than the Walkers, I believe this group is at the top of the food chain, Darlin'." He grinned as he threw an arm over her shoulder and steered her up the steps.

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Dixon." She laughed.

"Me neither." He muttered as he opened the door and pushed her in.

Hershel was leaning against the reception desk talking quietly to a nervous looking Glen. They both looked up when they heard Kenzey's high pitched voice.

"Bout time!" She beamed and ran to Daryl. He caught her, as usual.

"Ain't nobody around here tryin' to keep you entertained?" He laughed.

She shrugged. "I wanna go with you."

Daryl glanced up at Carol who just smiled and shook her head. Kenzey put a hand to the side of his face so he would look at her. He needed to take his turn on the wall. He'd been slacking. Not pulling his weight. He didn't want to start acting like Rick.

"I gotta go up on the wall, kid. I don't know if that's a place you need to be." He said uncertainly.

"Why?" She asked.

"Cause." He shrugged. "If somebody tries to get in then it's up to me to keep'em out. I can't keep a watch for the bad guys and keep a watch on you at the same time now can I?"

Her eyes narrowed and she scowled at him. "You ain't gotta watch me. I ain't no baby. I know how to take care of myself. So you keep watch, and I'll be just fine."

They both looked up when they heard the others erupt into laughter.

"The hells so damn funny?" He grumbled with his own scowl.

"She's making that signature Dixon face, Daryl." Glen laughed even louder now. "And she just sounded just like you."

He sat her down and took her hand, still eying the others. "Let's go kid, I think you're right. You can take care of yourself just fine." He said as he led her to the door.

"You were right too, Daryl." She grumbled as she shook her little head.

"Bout what?" He asked, looking down.

"Bunch of assholes." She pushed the door open as he gaped at her.

"Oh, hell." He laughed along with the others as he let her pull him out the door.

Carol wiped her streaming eyes on the back of her hand. Glen had been right. That scowl on that little girls face was pretty much dead on Dixon, not to mention her tone. Hershel was holding his stomach, none of them were used to this much laughter. It was nice. Glen shook his head, still looking towards the door.

Hershel sighed. "That boy sure has changed since I first met him on the farm."

Glen and Carol shared a look.

"What?" Hershel asked. "He really has."

"Oh, I agree." Carol smiled. "But you shoulda' seen him before that."

Glen nodded. "Yeah, you shoulda' met him back when we were at the quarry. He wasn't nothing but temper and fight."

Carol leaned her hip into the counter and crossed her arms, sighing loudly. "We're all so different, aren't we?" Glen and Hershel didn't miss the whisper of sadness in her voice.

"That was unavoidable. We evolve to live. Some more than others." Glen shook his head and stared off. "Maggie today. She was scary. I don't think I've ever seen her so mad. She just freaked out, it's expected from Merle but Maggie? That was just scary."

"You didn't have to look at what that man did to that woman." Carol said softly. "Maggie and I, well, let's just say that nothin' Merle does to those men will be enough. Not for that. And I think it hit Maggie harder because of what she went through here with the Governor."

Glen nodded. "I guess that makes sense."

Carol just realized that Maggie was no where in sight. She expected her to be with Glen. "Where is she?"

"She wanted to be alone." Glen said with a shrug. "She went back to our place."

Carol headed towards the door. "I'm gonna go see her." She waved as the men watched her go. She hurried down the street towards the apartments. She needed to find a bigger one soon. She didn't want the little girl sleeping on the couch. She would need her own room.

She glanced across the street before she ducked into the building and saw Andrea sitting on the curb talking to Michonne. She hadn't seen much of her at all since they had gotten to Woodbury. That was a good thing. Carol didn't want to see her.

Maggie opened the door as soon as Carol knocked. "I'm glad your here." She said quietly.

Carol followed her in. Her eyes were red and swollen. "You alright?"

Maggie shrugged and met Carol's eyes. "I've been thinkin'." She said, her voice low.

"About what?" Carol asked as she sat down on the sofa and patted the seat next to her.

Maggie sat down and then laid her head on Carol's shoulder. "Do you think there's somethin' wrong with me?" She whispered.

Carol turned her head and lifted Maggie's chin up until she was looking at her. "There's nothin' wrong with you Maggie. Why would you ask that?"

She shrugged. "You saw what I did down there. I ain't never hit somebody like that in my life. And I wasn't gonna stop. I wanted to keep goin'. I still do. I'm gonna go down there with Merle Dixon and I'm gonna help him kill every one of them monsters. I want to. That ain't the way people are suppose to think. It makes me feel like I'm a monster too."

Carol stroked Maggie's hair and smiled sadly. "You know what you did to Ed today? He's done nearly the same thing to me a hundred times over. Put me in the hospital more times than I can even tell you. I was bruised and battered for most of our marriage. I was nothin' to him but someone to hurt."

Maggie's eyes filled up again and she leaned over, laying her head on Carol's lap. "I'm sorry." She whispered as she curled up on her side.

"Don't be sorry for me. And don't think that you need to feel remorse for what you did. This is who we have to be. We have to be strong. We can't keep on like the world ain't changed because it has, and so have we." This was reminding her of the conversation she had had with Daryl earlier.

"But I don't want to be cold, Carol. I don't want to lose who I am. If I do then how am I any different from the men in those cages?"

"Because the men in those cages are the ones that didn't change. They were bad then and they are worse now. And if we don't do something about that then someone else is gonna end up hurt like Emily. People are gonna die. But we're gonna stop that from happenin'. Ain't nothin' wrong with that."

"But I want to watch them suffer, and that ain't right. It ain't right to feel that way."

Carol was quiet for a long time as she gazed down at the top of Maggie's head. When she spoke she chose her words carefully. "Do you know what scares me the most about how much I've changed since this all started?"

Maggie shook her head.

"The thing that scares me the most is knowing that, I'm happier now than I've ever been before. I appreciate my life now. I care more deeply. I love harder than I could have ever imagined before. I'd do anything, anything at all to bring my daughter back. But this new world isn't about loss to me. Not anymore. When the farm got overrun, for just a second, one small second I thought, you should just stop fightin'. You should let it all end because you don't have anything else to fight for."

She felt Maggie's shoulder stiffen under her hand but the girl stayed silent.

"And then right before I stopped, there was Daryl on that damn motorcycle, yellin' at me to hurry the hell up." She laughed softly. "And I thought, maybe, if I just fight a little longer, I'll find somethin' worth livin' for again. Somethin' to smile about again. A reason to fight.

"And you did." Maggie said simply.

"I did. If I could go back right now and erase everything that's happened. Live my life the way I always had without the threat of Walkers, without wanderin' whats behind every bend in the road, without the hunger and the uncertainties of this world, If I could make it all go away, I wouldn't do it. The only thing I would change is, I would bring back the ones we've lost. But I wouldn't change it. Wouldn't even think about changin' it. Cause without it, I wouldn't have Daryl. I wouldn't have you or Beth or your daddy. Glen or Rick or Carl or Judith. Or, God help me for sayin' it, Merle. You're my family. Other than the love I had for my daughter, I've never in my life known love like this. And it's scary to me to know that I've found love like that after the world's ended. It scares me that I'm thankful for this awful world every day. What kind of person does that make me?"

Maggie reached up and laced her fingers through Carol's. "That makes us lucky, Carol. Lucky that we all found each other when we did. It don't make you a bad person."

Carol gave her fingers a squeeze. "Well, now that we got all that off our chests we have somethin' else we need to talk about."

"Like Andrea?" Maggie whispered.

"Yeah."

"What should we do? Do you really think we can just kill her? After what I did today, even if it was justified, I don't know if I'll be able to go through with it."

There was a light knock at the door but neither of them moved. "Come in." Maggie called.

Andrea came in and shut the door firmly behind her. "Am I interrupting something?" She asked with a smirk.

"What do you want?" Carol asked, eyes narrowing slightly.

Andrea rolled her eyes. "I wanted to apologize."

"For what?" Maggie said gruffly. "For not helpin' Carol save Daryl's life? Or for choosin' your boyfriend over our entire group? Or for throwin' Sophia in Carol's face? I could go on if you want." She sat up, keeping her eyes on Andrea.

Andrea frowned and threw her arms in the air. "I guess for all of the above, Maggie." Her head wobbled around like a bobble head. "I don't want to fight with you people."

"What do you mean by 'us people' exactly?" Maggie asked.

"Well, you two mostly. And Daryl. I was wrong, okay. I should have listened to you and I didn't. But we all have to live in this town and I can't avoid you all forever. So I want to clear the air."

"Okay." Maggie said.

Andrea stared at her. "Okay?"

"Yeah. That means that you've apologized and it's noted. You can get out of my apartment now. Please."

"Are you really going to hate me forever?" She asked angrily.

Carol shrugged. Maggie glared.

"You know what? Forget it. I tried." She flung the door open and paused, seeming to think that Carol or Maggie would stop her. When neither of them did she just shook her head again and slammed the door behind her.

"I changed my mind." Maggie snapped as she looked back over at Carol. "We should kill her."

Carol laughed.

Daryl and Merle hadn't said much since Daryl had made his way up the wall with the kid. Merle didn't quite know how to go about talking to kids so he just nodded at her and kept his eyes trained on the road before him. He didn't know why Daryl would bring the kid up here to begin with.

"You ain't got much to say, huh?" She finally asked him.

He turned his head and eyed her. "I spose not." He grumbled. He noticed Daryl watching him from the corner of his eye. "What's somethin' a grown ass man suppose to say to a little kid?"

She raised an eyebrow at him and snorted. "Well, for starters you could say hi. Maybe comment on the weather. You ain't gotta play peek-a-boo with me. I ain't that little."

Merle wanted to laugh but he forced his face into a scowl. "You about a sassy lil shit, ain't ya?"

"And you're about a grumpy old fart, ain't you?" She scowled herself.

Merle and Daryl both nearly fell off the wall they were laughing so hard. Never in his life would he have expected that to come out of her. But considering she'd spent time with Carol it shouldn't have surprised him much.

"Okay. I guess that's fair. So, kid, how you enjoyin' this weather?" He asked lightly.

She turned her head so she was once more looking at him full on. Although he'd never admit it to anybody out loud she was about the cutest kid he'd ever seen.

"It's hot. Ain't nothin' enjoyable about sweat and bugs." She grumbled.

"You're the one wanted to come." Daryl reminded her. "Shoulda stayed at the clinic."

"I ain't seen much of ya today." She said with a sigh. "So I thought I'd come keep you company. I didn't know old grump pants would be here too."

"Hey, I ain't grumpy. You're just bein' an over sensitive girl."

"I'm only four, dummy, how else am I suppose to act?" She asked.

"Don't you know better'n to talk to your elders like that?" Merle asked, trying not to smile.

"Daryl said that if I got somethin' to say then I was allowed to say it. I figure I kept quiet long enough."

"You don't sound like any four year old I've ever met." Merle grumbled as he let his eyes wonder back to the road before them.

"I probably ain't like any four year old you ever met." She crossed her arms and returned her own eyes to the road.

Merle actually like this kid. She had spunk. Talking to her made him finally relax a little. But it was short lived. He turned when he heard Beth call for him.

"She's awake." She called and disappeared back inside the clinic.

"Well, shit." He groaned. He didn't know what to say to this lady. Why would she ask for him anyway? He wasn't anybody. He just happened to be the only man close enough at the moment to carry her out. He glanced over at Daryl.

"Ain't you gonna go?" He asked

Merle could feel the frown on his face deepen. "What the fuck am I suppose to say to her?" He asked. He sounded panicked to his own ears which pissed him off a little. Who the hell was this little thing, making him feel like a damn kid. He was Merle Dixon. He was a bad ass.

Daryl shrugged. "How am I suppose to know?"

"You're a big help, asshole." He growled as he started down the wall.

"Merle?" He heard Kenzey say just as he started his descent. He looked up at her.

"Don't be so grumpy with her, okay? It don't make for a good first impression."

Merle shook his head. "That's more advice than I got from him. I'll take it."

She nodded and turned back towards the road.

The only person in the waiting room this time was Beth. That was a small blessing. She smiled at him when he came in. "She's somethin' else."

Merle frowned. "Huh?"

"Emily. I was worried how she'd be when she finally came around all the way but that's one tough little thing. She asked about you right away."

"Me?" Merle croaked.

Beth nodded. "I'll be right here if you need me, Merle. I ain't goin' anywhere."

"Thanks kid." He said as he walked towards the door.

He wasn't sure if he was suppose to knock or not and then he decided to hell with it. She was the one asking for him so he opened the door and slipped in, shutting it behind him. He was surprised to see how much better she already looked. The bruises on her face wasn't as bad as before with the dried blood all cleaned up. She was wearing what looked like a hospital gown but it was much too big for her. She also wore a wary smile, which was really something, considering.

"Hi there, Merle."

"Hi." Hi? What the fuck, Merle? You dumb shit.

"You wanna sit down or somethin'?" She asked.

He couldn't place her accent. It was a deep southern twang, even worse than Maggie's. The only chair in the room was the one right next to her bed so he went ahead and wordlessly took it. He did offer her what he hoped was a smile. He didn't feel like he was in much control of his face at the moment.

"How ya feelin'?" He asked, after a few awkward seconds, and then wanted to kick his own ass for asking something so damn stupid.

"I'm higher'n a kite." Her lips turned up.

"Morphine'll do that to you." He said, his voice gruff.

"I just wanted to tell ya thanks for what ya did. For packin' me outta that hole." Her brown eyes seemed too focused for her to be as high as she had implied. Her gaze was intense and it made him want to squirm in his seat.

"Wasn't nothin'. Anybody woulda done that." He grumbled, feeling his face redden slightly under her stare.

"That's a lie. I've met quite a few people out there, most of'em bad. Never thought I'd see another sweet face. Not in this world anyhow."

"Ain't nothin' sweet about me, Miss." He said, feeling his face get even hotter. What the fuck was going on here? He was getting sick or something. It was the only reason he could think of for feeling so hot all of a sudden. Surely he wasn't blushing. Merle Dixon didn't blush.

Her smile grew, "I remember what you said."

He frowned. "What I said?" He couldn't remember saying anything to her. All he remembered was arguing with Carol.

"You said, and I quote, I'll kill the next mother fucker that tries to lay a hand on you, Ma'am. Now you can't tell me that ain't sweet. And now your ears are getting' all red and that's sweet too."

He knew he was gaping at her like a dumb shit but he couldn't help it. Hearing her cuss like that was shocking. He should have been used to women talking that way. God knew Carol could out cuss him and his brother but coming from this little lady, well, it was surprising to him.

"Well, don't just sit there starin' with your mouth open Merle. I'm stuck right here in this bed till tomorra and you've done been chosen to occupy my time. Tell me somethin'."

His tongue felt dry. This was not what he had been expecting. He thought he would be stuck in here trying to console some poor broken shell of a woman. That wasn't the case. "Tell you what?" He asked after a long pause.

"Well, for one, what's your last name? Only thing I been told is that your names Merle."

"Dixon." That was an easy one.

"Where'd yer hand run off too?"

He looked down and then back up to her. Not many people asked about that. Some would consider it rude. She obviously didn't. "I, uh..."

"Well spit it out, sweetheart, you ain't gotta be scared."

"I sawed it off. My hand. I sawed off my hand in Atlanta." God, you dumb fuck! Even Daryl had never been this bad around a woman.

"Wow." She breathed. "That's some real ballsy shit right there, Merle."

He laughed.

"Can I see it?" She asked and his laugh dried up.

"My hand?" He asked.

"No, silly. Your hands gone. I wanna see that mean lookin' thing there." She pointed to the metal prosthetic. He held it up, watching her eyes light up.

"Well, son of bitch, Merle! Makes you look like a cyborg or somethin'." She reached out and touched it, running a small hand down the length of it. Then she started tinkering with it like it was some sort of toy. He just watched her, fascinated by her strange personality. She found the knife and let out a whistle. "Well, looky here! It's still got dried blood on it." She laughed and then winced a little.

He was out of his chair in an instant. "Are you alright? Should I go get the Doc or somethin'?" He sounded panic stricken, even to his own ears.

"Sit down, Merle." She shook her head. "Just a little pain is all. Ain't nothin' I can't handle."

He sat down again, feeling ridiculous for the overreaction.

"So, Carol. She's your sister? Tell me about her."

He snorted. The first normal thing he'd done since he walked through the door. "She ain't my sister. She's my brother's woman. And she's a pain in the ass." He smiled.

"The way you two were goin' back and forth I figured for sure she was your sister. I don't recall seein' your brother. Was he there too?"

"He's wherever she is, believe me." He said.

"So, when am I gonna get to meet your woman, Merle?" She grinned. "It'd be interstin' to see the kinda girl that could pin down a man that can saw off his own hand."

He scoffed. "Ain't got no woman. I ain't got time for all that mess. Dealin' with all these other women around here's enough for me. They're all crazy. Except Beth. She's a sweet girl."

"You wanna have dinner with me tonight?" She asked suddenly, still smiling.

"What!" He choked. Was she asking him on a date?

"Well, you ain't got to if you don't want but I figure ain't nobody gonna let me sit in here alone while I eat and so far you're the only person I've seen that don't look at me like I'm some kinda puppy that's done got itself ran over. Not that I don't have much thanks for'em helpin' me and fixin' me back up and all but I'd rather be alone than be pitied. Them sons of bitches worked me over pretty good but I ain't broke and pity is the last damn thing I want from anybody. What happened happened. Ain't a damn thing nobody can do about that now. I might be little but I'm far from weak. Where I'm from you don't sit around and cry bout shit. You pick your ass up off the ground and you dust your damn self off and you go on livin'.

Merle was speechless for a minute. She watched him as he watched her. It took him a while to find his voice. "Where you from, Emily?"

She leaned her head back against the pillow and smiled fondly. "The most beautiful place in the world, Merle." She turned her head to look at him. "Coal country, darlin'. I's born and raised in Harlan County Kentucky."

"Well that explains a lot." He mumbled but he couldn't help but grin.

She arched one perfect eyebrow at him. "And what exactly is that suppose to mean?"

"I've met quite a few people from there. Even been there once or twice. And you're right, it's a beautiful place. But I ain't never met a crazier bunch of folks in all my life. And comin' from me, that's sayin' a lot."

She sighed and her eyes began to droop a little. "Merle Dixon, you ain't seen a thing just yet. You wait till I'm back to my old self. I think me and you's gonna have us a fine time here in Woodbury."

"Is that right?" He laughed, feeling more comfortable than he had since he'd entered the room.

"Yes, sir. After a few weeks on the mend, I'm gonna show you Dixon's how to raise some hell, Mountain style."


	16. Chapter 16

**A few of you have mentioned Emily being from Harlan County, Kentucky. I used that place because that is where I was born. Most of my family still lives down there so I thought it would be fun to use. I forgot all about it being so known because of the show Justified (which I don't own). Anyway, this was a pretty mellow chapter that I hope you enjoy. Keep reading and keep reviewing! You are all awesome =)**

Chapter Sixteen

Carol was excited about the new apartment she'd picked out. She thought maybe she should ask Daryl first but she knew he wouldn't care. He didn't even care when they were sleeping in the dirt so she was sure whatever she decided was fine with him. Now they were right across the hall from Glen and Maggie. No longer at the front of the building but that was okay. The place was bigger and that's what mattered to her. Her and Maggie had fun going into the different shops and finding things for the little girl. They had even visited the house where Merle had found her so they could examine her bedroom and try to figure out what she would like the best but the room there had been bare. It made Carol angry but Maggie had calmed her down.

"She's gonna love it." Maggie beamed. Her earlier mood had dissolved after Andrea had stormed out. She was back to her old self. Or new self, depending on how you wanted to look at it. She was back to Carol's Maggie anyway and that is what counted to her.

"I hope so." Carol said as she put her hands on her hips and examined the room critically. There was a twin bed with bright yellow sheets and a comforter with big abstract daisies on it. A dresser with a mirror that was now stocked full of clothes since they hadn't found much in the house they just grabbed all new stuff from one of the clothing stores. A bookshelf with all the kids books they could find and, the thing Carol figured she would like most, a desk that they had stocked full of paper, markers, crayons and coloring books. She seemed to enjoy that the most when she was with Beth.

"What now?" Maggie asked with a grin. She seemed more upbeat than she had for a while.

"What do you mean, what now?" She laughed, "Aren't you worn out from all this?"

"Hell no! This was so fun. It had nothin' at all to do with Walkers, blood, death, rapists, murderers, or Andrea. It's really startin' to feel normal. Like this is where we're suppose to be. I've been missin' the prison. Can you believe that? But it was home. Our one safe place."

Carol nodded. "I think even Daryl is startin' to like it. I've never known him to sleep through anything, but put that man in a real bed and he could sleep through an earthquake."

Maggie shot her a knowing look. "You think it might have somethin' to do with you wearin' him out at night?"

Carol felt her face growing hot. "Shut up." She laughed. "I think it's just because it feels so safe. Even in the prison, even though he was right about it being easier to defend, we were still living with the dead. Walkers and memories, you know? This place helps with the healin' I believe."

Maggie nodded, her smile turning sweeter. "You're right. I sleep easier too. I think we all do."

They both jumped when they heard a loud banging on the door across the hall. Maggie's door. Carol threw her door open and glared at whoever was being so rude.

"Damn it, Daryl! You scared us to death!" She nearly yelled at his back.

He spun around. "What the hell, Carol! I come home and all our stuff is gone, along with you. Thought you skipped town on us." He sat Kenzey down on the floor. "What are you doin'?"

Kenzey gave Carol a look and scoffed. "I tried to tell him. He wont listen to nothin'. This our new place?" She pushed past Maggie and Carol.

"We needed somethin' bigger, Daryl. She needed her own room." Carol said lightly.

He just huffed. "Heads up would be nice."

Maggie looked from one face to the other. "I'm gonna go find Glen. He's probably worried about me. Thanks for today, Carol." She hugged Carol tightly and then went to squeeze past Daryl. He moved back to let her out but not before she kissed him hard on the cheek. "Bye, handsome."

"Goddamn it, Maggie!" He growled, wiping at his face. "Go find your damn man."

She grinned and hurried down the hall.

"Somebody needs to do somethin' with that damn girl." He grumbled as he shut the door. "When did you decide we was movin'?" He asked as he surveyed the living room critically. It was much bigger than the first place.

"You don't like it?" She asked.

"I do." Kenzey said from the kitchen doorway. She was struggling with the plastic lid of a water bottle. "You think Merle can come over?"

Carol twisted the lid for her and then smiled. "Merle? You want Merle to come over?"

Kenzey shrugged. "He's a little rough but I think he'll come around. He cusses a lot though. He called me a little shit."

Daryl chuckled, causing Carol to spin around with a glare. "That is not funny, Dixon. She's just a little girl."

"Don't worry." Kenzey said proudly. "I can really hold my own with the old man. I think he's fun."

Carol just shook her head and took the girl by the hand. "Come on. Maggie and me have a surprise for you."

Daryl followed them down the hall and watched as Carol pushed the door open and ushered her inside.

"Holy crap, Daryl! You gotta see this." She yelled.

He stepped into the room and couldn't help but grin along with the girl. Carol and Maggie really went all out.

"And we're right across the hall so if you needed anything all you'd have to do is come get us." Carol said as she watched the girl take in the room.

"And when your ass crawls outta bed tomorrow mornin' you best come wake me up. I ain't havin' you sittin' all alone just cause that's what those asshole parents of yours expected you to do. Their gone. I'll be goddamned if I'm gonna have you scared to even walk outta your room." Daryl said in a low voice that had Carol and the girl staring at him.

"Daryl." Carol said as she touched his arm. "Maybe you shouldn't say..."

"Say what?" He asked. "Say that her parents were assholes?"

Carol frowned at him. She knew what the girls parents had done but she also remembered how Ed was and he had her brain so muddled that she defended him at every turn. Made up excuses for him doing the things he did and even lied to police when neighbors would get involved. She wasn't sure if calling them names in front of her was a good idea.

"It's okay, Carol." Kenzey said as she walked up to stand between them. "He's right. Even I know that if you love somebody you ain't suppose to hurt'em. I wished they woulda loved me," She shrugged her shoulders, "But they just didn't. I'd rather be with you. Even if you don't love me either, you at least care. That's good enough for me."

Daryl's heart lurched painfully in his chest. What the fuck kind of people could make a kid, their own kid, feel like they didn't love them? But he already knew the answer to that one. People just like his own parents. Carol and him were nothing but strangers to this girl. And here she was, happy to be with them. And he didn't know the first damn thing at all about being somebody's damn dad. It made him all sweaty just to think about shit like that. But he'd make a better one than his own had been. And he'd do right by the kid. He'd teach her all the shit he could. He'd try like hell anyway. But it was a scary thought. It's why he tried to fight it so hard yesterday. He didn't want to fuck this up. It was the same reason he took so long with Carol. He was a fuck up. It was in his blood. He was still waiting for her to realize that and bolt.

No one said anything for a long time. All three of them just stood there, buried in their own thoughts. Kenzey was looking down at her shoes, They were looking at each other. Daryl watched a tear escape and run down Carol's cheek before she swiped it away quickly and then knelt down, gripping the girls shoulders gently. "You hungry?"

Kenzey just shrugged.

"Well, whenever you're ready you can come and help me fix somethin' to eat okay?" She stood up and fixed him with a pointed look. She seemed to be leaving him to fix this and he didn't have any idea where to start. She shut the door behind her, seeming to seal him in.

He took a deep breath and didn't bother with saying anything, he just picked her up off the floor and then sat down heavily onto the small bed with her on his lap. She squirmed around and buried her face between his neck and shoulder. He didn't know what to say so he just held her there for a while.

"I like my room." She mumbled.

He was relieved that she had finally broken the silence. "Me too." He said into her hair. "I think I might just have to trade you. Make you share a bed with Carol. I like the flowers. I think they suit me. What'dya think?"

It worked. She laughed and then raised her head up. "No way. You'd stink up all my stuff."

He grimaced and then sniffed at her hair. "I think you're the one that's gonna stink it up. You smell like dirty little kid."

She shook her head and then her grin turned down. "I gotta go back to the other place real quick, so I can show you what Beth and me made. I don't think Carol brought it with her and you have to have it cause it's suppose to be good luck. That's what Beth said." The poor kid seemed frantic.

"Okay. We'll go now then." He said as he led her out of the room.

The other apartment was dark. The breakers were flipped in all the unused areas so they weren't wasting electricity. Daryl kept I tight hold on the girl as he lit a candle. "Alright, runt. Let's fetch it and then get back in case Carol needs help."

He sat her down and she took off for the kitchen. He followed her, already hearing her pulling out the drawer next to the sink.

"Got it." She mumbled and then turned, running right into his legs.

He shook his head and picked her up again. "Ready?"

She nodded. When they were out in the hallway, where there was much more light she opened her hand and handed him what she had made for him earlier, with a lot of help from Beth, obviously. It looked like a bracelet made of brown and black thread or yarn, he couldn't tell, it was woven so tight. There was a small loop on one end and a knot at the other.

"You made this?" He asked doubtfully.

She nodded. "Beth started it but then I finished after I figured it out. She said she was surprised I could do it but it wasn't hard. I'm gonna make one for Carol too but we didn't have time. Beth says they bring good luck. I figure we need all the luck we can get. Specially you. Here." She took it from him and grabbed his hand wrapping it around his wrist and then pushing the knot through the little hole. She glanced up at him a bit sheepishly. "You like it?"

He twisted it around and then nodded with a grin.

She let out a breath, like she was worried he wouldn't like it at all. "Good, now lets go make ourselves useful." She muttered as she pulled him back down the hall.

After Emily had fallen asleep Merle left the room, giving Beth the okay to leave the waiting room. He'd forgotten that she was waiting on him. He didn't understand how a kid could be so damn nice. Even to him, from the very start.

"Thanks, kid. For hangin' around." He mumbled as she sat down on the step and looked down the street. Carl and Adam were making their way towards her.

"No problem, Merle. You seemed a little nervous. I wouldn't have left you alone."

He grunted. "Don't tell nobody."

She shook her head. "I wont. She sure is somethin' else. She's sweet but she's somethin' else too. I ain't figured her out quite yet." Beth laughed quietly.

"Sweetheart, I don't think any of us will ever really figure that woman out. Some things are just meant to remain a mystery." He sat down next to her and watched the setting sun turn the town to fire. He wouldn't admit it to anyone but this was his favorite time of day.

"This was always my favorite when we were still on the farm. Sunset." Beth sighed.

Merle looked over, feeling strangely at peace with the girl. Like he could sit with her all evening and be pretty content. She didn't jumble up his head like that red head did. Beth was simple. He hated seeing her looking sad. He nudged her with his shoulder and she looked up with a sad smile.

"You miss it a lot, huh?" He asked. He glanced back down the street but the boys were no where to be seen.

"I do. I'm thankful for this place. I was even thankful for the prison, but I'll always miss home."

Merle leaned his head back and gazed up at the multi hued sky. "You see all that?" He asked, pointing to the vastness above them.

She leaned back like he had and gazed up, nodding. "It's real pretty."

"It ain't just that. It's big and it don't have an end. But this world is pretty small, kid. And we're even smaller. Sometimes I think maybe, in the grand scheme of things, we don't really matter all that much. But this little space is all we're allowed, I suppose, and even though we don't matter much in the grand scheme, some of you matter to other people. Matter a lot, actually. And that's gotta count for somethin'. That farm, that was a place. Keep it in your head if you need to, but it ain't your home. Not no more. You're home is here with all these people that you matter so much too."

Beth was staring at him, her blue eyes wide. "That sure is some way to think, Merle." She said quietly and then tipped her head back up.

"I'm glad you think so, Darlin' cause I was just throwin' out some pretty words and shit to make you feel better. Now, enough of this pussy talk. I gotta go find somethin' to maim before you all start thinkin' I'm goin' soft." He patted her knee and then took off down the street towards the apartments.

"Merle?" She called, sounding shy once more.

"Yeah?"

She smile that smile again. "You matter too, ya know. To me anyhow." She tipped her head back up to watch the sky change to twilight.

He didn't know why he had bothered talking to the girl. Probably because she did him a solid by hanging around in case he had to bolt from Emily. But he was glad he did. That kid was somethin' special. He shook his head, grinning like a dumbass.

His mind ended up wondering back to Emily. The woman had Merle's stomach twisted in knots. He asked himself earlier if she would ever be the same again. Well if this was her after a beat down like she had gotten then he wasn't sure what to expect after she was all healed up. He was suppose to bring her food. She'd been asleep a while. He had stayed in the room with her, not wanting her to wake up alone. He didn't even know where the hell any food was. All he had was one of the shabby one room get ups like Andrea had. He figured he'd try his luck with Carol. She was all domestic and such. He was sure she'd have something cooked. He was about to open the door to the hallway when Maggie stormed out and ran smack into him.

"Easy, girl." He grumbled as he moved her back by the shoulder's. "What's your rush?"

"Glen's an idiot." She snapped.

He waited for her to elaborate but she just stood there, her face a storm cloud of anger. "Well, I coulda told you that, Dummy."

"Shut up, Merle. I was coming to find you, actually."

"Why me? I'm busy." He grumbled trying to go around her. She stepped into his way.

"I wanna know when we're doin' this?" She said, standing there with her hands planted firmly on her hips.

"Doin' what?" He said, exasperation clear in his tone.

"Killin' them bastards. Stay with me now, Merle. This should be priority number one."

"You sure you're ready for somethin' like that? I don't plan on makin' this quick. I just ain't sure you could stomach somethin' like that."

"You listen here," She growled with her finger in his face. "I'm doin' this with you. I don't care what you say and I sure as shit don't care what Glen says. They did what they did, and you can bet your redneck ass it wasn't the first time, and now they're gonna pay. I'll meet you here. What time?"

He held up his hands and gave her an appreciative once over before nodding. "Calm down, girl. I was just makin' sure you knew what you were signin' up for. I can't have you runnin' screamin' in the middle of it. You wanna go that's fine. Meet me at dawn. Right here."

A little of the anger left her eyes but her mouth was still set in a grim line. "Thanks, Merle."

"No problem."

"Carol switched apartments, by the way. Last door on the left." With that she stepped around him and took off towards the wall.

He watched her go, wondering idly how a hell cat like her could be blood related to someone like Beth. Then he thought of the changes in his own brother after they had been separated. Daryl had become something that Merle still had a hard time figuring out. More of a man than he ever dreamed he could be. He was a good man too. He was good to Carol and good to that little girl too. He wondered often what had brought on that change in Daryl. He didn't like to admit it, but he was turning into someone different himself. It was a scary thing to wake up in the morning and worry about somebody other than yourself. That's all he had known. He'd even always put himself before Daryl, his own kin. He should have been a better brother. Should have been there for him when their mom had passed and their dad had gotten even more violent. But he hadn't been there. He had ran. And Daryl, even though he was just a little kid had been the one to take it all on by himself. Merle shook those thoughts from his head. He didn't like to think about it. Didn't like to feel guilty about what the boy had been through, mostly because Merle hadn't been strong enough at the time to stay.

He made his way down the hall and then walked right into the apartment that Maggie said they would be staying in now. He looked around and let out a low whistle. It was a lot fancier than he'd expected. Not something he'd ever picture Daryl in.

"What the fuck, Merle." Daryl grimaced as Merle found them all in the kitchen eating, lucky for him. "Don't you know how to knock?"

"Didn't figure there would be anything to interrupt with the kid bein' here and all." He grinned as Carol's face reddened. "Besides, I need food."

Daryl shook his head. "Find your own damn woman to cook for you."

"It ain't for me, jackass. It's for Emily. I told her I'd bring her somethin' to eat and then I realized that I didn't have anything. She said she didn't wanna eat alone and didn't want all them busy bodies over there starin' at her."

Carol was already up and preparing two tupperware dishes before he could even finish his sentence. "How is she?" She asked over her shoulder.

"She's..." Merle wasn't sure what to even say. His tongue felt thick in his mouth.

"Merle?" Daryl asked worriedly. "The fuck's wrong with you? Is she okay? Did somethin' happen"

Merle shook his head. "You just gotta meet her yourselves. She's okay, as far as I can tell though."

"You got a thing for that little woman, don't you?" Daryl grinned and then shoveled more food into his mouth while Merle glared at him.

"I ain't got time for a thing, little brother." He grumbled. "I ain't like you. I don't just abandon my wild ways for the domestic life."

Daryl grunted. "I get to eat better'n you and my bed ain't never empty. Rather be satisfied than wild any day."

"Daryl." Carol groaned as she handed Merle a bag with everything he would need in it. She smiled at him and winked. "I can throw a few candles in there for you if you'd like."

"Huh? The fuck would I need candles for?" He grumbled.

"Make it romantic like, you know." Carol laughed.

"You two are a couple dickheads, you know that?" He said as he made his way to the door.

"Your welcome, Merle." She laughed right before he slammed the door.

Merle grumbled all the way down the hallway, nearly colliding with Rick and Sasha as they came through the door. "What the hell? Is this grand central station or somethin'?" He muttered by way of greeting.

"In a hurry, Merle?" Rick smiled.

"Not that it's any of your business, but yeah. Matter of fact I am."

"Where you headed?" Rick asked, clearly amused.

Merle ignored him as he stormed out the door. "Nosy assholes." He grumbled to himself.

"Hey, Merle!" Tyreese waved from across the street and then trotted over with a grin.

Merle didn't want to but he liked the guy. It was pretty hard not too."Hi." He muttered, not stopping as he kept his pace down the street.

"Where you headed in such a hurry?" Tyreese asked, keeping up with him easily.

"Takin' that new lady some food." He mumbled. What the hell was wrong with everybody. Didn't they have places to be or somethin'? He missed the good old days. Like two days ago when they mostly just ignored him.

"Oh, that's right. I heard she started asking abut you as soon as she came too today." Tyreese said with a grin. "Heard about what you did for her. You ain't so bad in my book, Merle."

For some reason this pissed him off. So what if they knew she had asked about him. He was the only one she probably remembered since he was the one that had carried her out of there. Now everybody in the whole neighborhood was already gossiping. "Ain't you people got better things to do other than worry about what the fuck I'm doin'? He snapped.

Tyreese just shot him a knowing look and then laughed. "I don't guess we do, Merle. But I can take a hint. I'll see you later." He turned back around and headed back the way he had come, much to Merle's relief.

When he made it to the clinic Beth was still sitting on the step, even though the sun was gone now. He wasn't happy to see a smiling Axel sitting next to her.

"Oh, hi, Merle." Beth said with a smile. "That for Emily? She was just askin' if you had already forgotten about your date."

Merle gripped the bag tighter as he scowled down at them. "Ain't no date. Just bringin' her some food."

"Hey, man, I can take it to her if you want. I've been waitin' to meet her." Axel said happily.

Merle's scowl turned into a full blown glare and Axel found himself back tracking.

"Or not. You know, if you'd rather spend some more time with her or whatever."

"Beth, ain't it about time for you to get back inside?" Merle asked the girl, ignoring the ex con.

Beth glanced over at Axel and then gave Merle a thankful look. "Yeah, you're right. It's getting' late."

Axel scoffed. "It's not that late. I was gonna see if you wanted to go on a walk with me. See a little of the town. You're always so busy lookin' after the little one's and helpin' your daddy."

"Beth, get inside. Now." Merle growled, his teeth clenched. He didn't know why this guy bothered him so much but the way he watched the girl get up and walk up the steps had him wanting to ring his skinny neck.

"She's somethin' else, ain't she?" Axel asked, oblivious to Merle's anger. "Quite a looker. Hard to find somethin' as pretty as that now days, don't ya think?"

"I'm gonna say this just once you little creepy fucker. You stay the hell away from that girl, you got me? Cause if you don't, if I ever see you eyeballin' her ass like that again, I'm gonna make you wish you were dead. She ain't a 'somethin', she's a goddamn girl. Don't, and I mean do fuckin' not make me have to tell you twice. We at an understandin' here, inmate?"

Axel swallowed loudly and then nodded, moving over so that Merle could storm past him. Once he was inside he noticed Beth behind the counter once more.

"I want you to steer clear of that man, Beth. I ain't playin'. You stay the fuck away from him." He said in a low voice.

She nodded. "I try. Any time he catches me alone he always wants to stop and talk though."

"He wont no more. And if he does you come find me, you understand?"

She nodded. "Thanks, Merle."

He grunted and headed to the door to the exam room where Emily was waiting. Waiting on food. Not him. He told himself.

"You want me to stay close?" Beth asked from behind him.

He turned around and flashed her a grin. "Nah, kid. I got this shit now. You ain't gotta hover. Go on and find your boyfriend or somethin', I'll cover for ya." He winked as her face flushed crimson but she was out the door quick.

He hesitated despite his brave words to Beth. He was getting on his own nerves with all this pussy shit. Like him worrying over Beth in the first place. He didn't know where that had even come from. He had given his brother a hard time about having feelings for all these people. Had genuinely looked at him as if that made him weak. And now here was Merle, hesitating in front of a door holding a sack of food like a dumb shit and not even having the balls to open it up.

He went in then. It hadn't been long at all since he had seen her last but she sort of took his breath away when he saw her eyes light up when she saw that it was him. He battled himself over these strange feelings. Taking his breath away? Jesus, retard! The woman's probably starving and she knows you have food. Stop looking at her like you're a lovesick dog. And stop smiling like that.

"I thought you forgot about me." She said as she fiddled with the edge of the sheet that he had covered her with before he had left earlier.

Only so it wouldn't be on you if she came down sick. Not because he gave a shit, cause he didn't give a shit. Not at all.

"You're the type to stick out in a man's head, woman. Ain't no forgettin' where you're concerned." Real smooth dumb ass. Did he really just say that to her?

Her smile widened. "Is that food? I'm starvin'."

Told ya, numb nuts. She wants the food, not your company. "Yeah. I ain't even sure what it is. Somethin' Carol cooked so it's gotta be good. That woman can make about anything taste good."

"Well she needs to pay me a visit soon so I can thank her proper." She sat up then and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, wincing.

This time he made sure he stayed very still. He wasn't going to fret over her. She was tough, obviously, so he'd let her work through her pain her own way. Instead of hovering over her like some kind of nursemaid he pulled over a metal cart and wheeled it in front of her. He kept his eyes on the task at hand, unloading the food from the bag. There was even cold drinks. That had to be something the woman wasn't used too.

"Is that fried chicken?" She asked with eyes the size of saucers. "And potato's?"

"Looks like it. There's some corn too." He was chuckling at the look on her face.

"What is this place? I ain't had real food in..." Her voice trailed off. "Well hell, I can't even tell ya."

"It's a town. It was ran by some real nasty fuck's for a time. I've lived here over a year now. My brother's group took it over though, just the other day, actually."

She took a bite of food and then moaned out loud causing him to laugh at her. "When I see this Carol woman again I swear I'm gonna kiss her. Right on the mouth. I ain't tasted anythin' this good in my life. So you was a real son of bitch then, huh, Merle?"

His laugh died on his lips. He'd forgotten how fast she could flip a conversation. He looked at her, his eyes guarded. He didn't want her to think he was a bad guy. Even if a bad guy was exactly what he was. "What makes you say that?" he asked instead of answering her question.

"Basic math." She answered around a bite of food.

"What?"

She swallowed. "You said it was ran by some real nasty folk. Then you said that your brother took it over the other day. You also said you been here a year. That means you was here way before your brother got his hands on it which means you were one of the nasty fucks that ran it. You ain't no sidelines type'a guy, darlin'. So I assume you was a real son of a bitch at one point."

He didn't quite know what to say. She was right. He was the right hand man to the Governor. Did the dirty work for him and had enjoyed himself doing it. Got a thrill out of the power he held over other people. "I guess you could say I did some bad shit." He watched her face, he wanted to know what she was thinking.

"What kind'a bad shit?" She asked after a short pause to enjoy more food.

Keep your fucking mouth shut, Merle. You don't owe this woman a damn thing. If anything she owes you. "I killed people. Probably good people. Sometimes I tortured'em first, other times I did it quick. I stole from people too, usually after I killed them of course." Oh, good going you dumb mother fucker. Lucky for you she's stuck in bed. If not she would be running for the hills.

She simply nodded and continued on with her food for a bit so he did the same, never taking his eyes off her face. Eventually she looked up and offered him a grin. "You prolly think I look like a pig. Stop starin' at me gorgin' myself."

He looked down at his plate and was surprised to see it was nearly empty. He hadn't even tasted the food. "You want me to go?" He asked quietly. He hadn't realized until now that he was very afraid of that possibility.

He felt the warmth of her hand on top of his much larger one and he looked up at her from under his brow, his head still down.

"You have any plans of hurtin' my boy or me?" She asked quietly.

He raised his head, frowning. "No!"

She shrugged and pulled her hand away. "Then I couldn't care less bout the shit you did before. It's what you do from now on that counts to me. I know what you are. You're a man and men, no matter who they are, do bad shit all the time. Some worse than others a'course. What matters to me is what you do now. You've done right by me and my boy. Helped save my life. Bringin' me food. Keepin' me company when God knows you got better things to do."

Merle wasn't sure what to say to that. But he figured this honesty stuff seemed to be working on her so he decided to run with it. "I ain't done with the killin' or the torture, Emily."

She looked up at him, those deep brown eyes narrowing. "Well, that's a real shame, Merle."

"Do you know what happened to the men that did this to you?" He asked. "Anybody told you that part yet?"

Now it was her turn to frown. "I spose' the bastards tucked tail and ran." She shrugged. "It'll catch up to them some day though. I ain't dwellin' on it."

"They're here." he said in a low voice. "Locked up in the basement of one of our building's. Carol, she's Ed's wife. Or was, anyway. I don't know how divorce works now days but she ain't his no more."

Merle didn't think this little lady could be easily shocked. But she was now. "No. They're here? In your town?" She gasped and then squared her shoulders, as though she was embarrassed by showing him how that bothered her. "Carol was married to him? How?"

"They were married long before the shit went down. He beat the hell out of her all the time. They had a little girl, dead now. They were a part of the original group. Ed got kicked out of camp when the others found him beatin' on her. He showed up here yesterday." God, had it really only been yesterday? "Anyhow, they finally let it slip where their camp was. That's how we found you. And tomorrow mornin', me and Beth's sister are gonna make'em pay. If you think that makes me a bad man then that's just somethin' that I gotta deal with. But it's gonna happen regardless." He had kept his eyes on his plate the whole time, not looking up until he felt those small hands on his face. When he looked up she was close. So close he could feel her breath hitting his face. His stomach gave a painful squeeze and he was sure he would puke on her.

"You hurt'em. You hear me? You don't let up on'em till they ain't no breath left to squeeze out." Her eyes were wide, her brow pulled down in anger.

All he could do was nod slightly. She nodded back and then leaned back down, wincing again. They were silent for a long time. She looked thoughtful as she absently put the bowls and silverware back in the bag.

"You alright?" He finally asked.

She flashed his a dangerous smile. "Oh, I'm better than alright. I'll be even better than that after you come here and tell me it's done. It's too bad you can't take pictures. I'd really like to see this."

Merle was speechless. Just like his brother had found his match in Carol, he thought maybe he'd found his in this woman. He hoped so anyway. She was a hard one to read.

Carol finished up the dishes and then eyed the kitchen critically, making sure there wasn't anything she had forgotten. Daryl and Kenzey had wondered off earlier and she found them in the girl's room. She nearly laughed when she saw him sprawled out on the floor with a coloring book, crossbow lying next to him and Kenzey right at his other side, working on a picture of her own. They didn't hear her come in so neither looked up. She crossed her arms and watched them.

"How the fuck are you better at this than me, I'm a grown up?" He grumbled.

Carol rolled her eyes at his choice of words but she was impressed by how good he was with her.

Kenzey craned her head and inspected his work. "It ain't to bad. You press to hard is all. It looks a lot smoother if you put the right pressure on your crayon. Ain't you ever colored before?"

He scoffed. "Course I've colored before. I went to school."

"You ain't gotta do this if you don't wanna, Daryl. I'm used to bein' by myself ya know."

He scoffed. "I'm a Dixon kid. We Dixon's don't do a damn thing we don't wanna do. If I wanna color pictures of kittens and shit then that's what I'm gonna do. You just can't tell Merle though. That son of a bitch will hound me over it for a year."

She laughed and shook her head.

"You two havin' fun?" Carol asked with a grin.

Daryl pushed the book away and looked up at her sheepishly. "Just watchin' the kid color." He sounded defensive.

"Mmm. I see that." She laughed.

He snorted at her and pushed himself up off the floor. "It's getting late, kid. You sleepy or what?" He stretched and yawned himself but he grinned at Carol and winked.

"I am. It's been a long day." She said as she picked up her books and stacked them neatly back on the desk. She jumped into the bed and buried herself under the blanket.

"No fuss, huh?" Daryl asked with his hands on his hips. "You make this parentin' shit easy as hell."

She grinned. "That's the point."

Daryl didn't wast any time once they were in the bedroom. He kicked the door shut and then kissed her before she even had a chance to say anything to him. He tugged at her bottom lip with his teeth and pushed her backwards towards the bed. Her foot caught on something and she was falling backwards. He caught her around the waist and then just laid her down there, his need apparently not even letting him get all the way to the other side of the room where the bed was. His mouth found hers again, greedily, hungrier than he had ever been with her before, his hands were almost painful as they gripped her sides.

It only took seconds for that now familiar fire to spread through her lower abdomen. She was trying to yank his shirt over his head as he was making quick work of her jeans. Eventually he won and then stripped the shirt off himself before bringing his mouth back to hers. She went for the button of his pants but he stopped her, grabbing her hands and forcing them above her head roughly. She was a little confused but was willing to let him have his way. Her shirt slid over her head but he didn't bring his mouth back to hers. Instead his mouth took the same path that hers had taken the night before.

She gasped when his teeth grazed against the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. She knew she had to keep quiet. There was someone else in the house that would hear her if she wasn't so when his tongue finally made contact with that most sensitive part of her she had to cover her mouth with one hand as she grabbed a fist full of his hair with the other. This was all new territory for her and even though she knew it was for him also it didn't matter. It was just like that first time in the guard tower. He studied her body like a map and eventually found a rhythm that had her back bowing up off the floor. She kept her hand clamped over her mouth as he used one of his own hands to push her back down to the floor and hold her there. He was brutally cruel with her as he brought her to the brink, where every nerve ending in her body felt like it was about to catch fire, and then at that last critical moment, when she was sure that the intensity of her release would end up killing her, he would stop, changing to a pace so very slow that it left her nearly sobbing. And then he would start all over. He did this to her over and over until eventually he didn't stop or slow down and then she was falling over that precipice until she was sure that she would pass out, her hand flew away from her mouth involuntarily causing her to have to bite her bottom lip hard to keep the noise to a minimum, her back once again arching off the floor as he tried to still her with his hand but never let up with his quick light strokes. Her muscles flexed and unflexed with each new wave of pleasure so intense that it was almost painful to endure, and it went on like that for what felt like forever to her.

She was still gasping for air when he slid back up her body. He buried his face into her neck and laughed softly. He started out slowly like he always did with her. "This ain't gonna take long so I'm gonna go ahead and apologize for it now." He whispered into her ear and just the sound of his voice had her coming again. She heard him groan, "Jesus Christ, woman. You're not gonna make this easy on me, are ya?"

True to his word it wasn't long after that they were gathering up their clothes off the floor. She slipped his shirt on as he buttoned his pants. She had taken a liking to the skimpy underwear that Maggie had forced upon her and he had taken a liking to her liking them.

They had been in bed for a while when Carol opened her eyes and found him staring at her in the dim light.

"I thought you were asleep." He whispered in a voice that didn't sound sleepy at all.

"I think I've went so long on so little sleep that the last couple of nights have caught me up for a week." She smiled and traced a long vertical scar that ran down the center of his chest.

"Me too."

"I bet. You've slept more since we've been here than I've ever seen you sleep before." She laughed quietly.

"Are you gonna be there tomorrow? When Merle does what he said he's gonna do?" He asked as he slid his hand up her thigh absently.

"I don't know. Part of me wants to see it happen. Then another part of me just wants to leave it alone. Let Merle get rid of them for good and then be done with it. What about you?"

He shrugged. "I don't know either. I'd like to watch myself but maybe that's a fucked up thing to do. It wouldn't bother me to see it but then again, is that what kind of role model I wanna be for the kid? Watchin' men get tortured by Merle's sadistic ass? It's gonna be bad too cause he's been on good behavior. All that meanness has been pent up."

"Daryl Dixon wants to be a good role model?" Carol couldn't help but let out a giggle.

"I am a good role model." He said indignantly.

She quieted and then traced his lips with her finer. "You really are. I'm proud of you."

He scoffed. "I'm just doin' what I have to. Don't be makin' it out to be more than that."

She laughed and kissed him lightly. Then less lightly when he rolled her over to where she was on top of him. "Again?" She asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

His answer was clear when he pulled her face back down to his but it was short lived. He nearly threw her off of him when they heard someone pounding on the door in the living room.

He jumped out of bed and hurried to the door, "Stay here." He demanded over his shoulder.

"Stay here my ass." She said as she pulled her pants on and hurried out after him.

Rick, Glen and Maggie were standing in the living room, talking in hushed voices. Maggie caught her eye and then hurried over to her.

The men looked at them both expectantly. Rick was the first one to speak. "When was the last time you two saw Andrea?" He asked.

"Earlier. She came over to Maggie's sometime this afternoon. She left and that was it." Carol said as she looked from face to face. "What the hells goin' on?"

Rick looked grim and Carol noticed that Glen kept glancing at Maggie, more questions in his dark eyes than he was asking out loud. "She's dead." Rick said quietly.

Carol's eyes went to Maggie and then back to Rick. "How? How is she dead?"

"Throat slit. Then someone had the decency to leave her like that. I had to put her down" He eyed them both. "You two sure you ain't got somethin' to tell me?"

Carol's defenses went up. She knew that she hadn't done anything to the other woman but she wasn't sure about Maggie and she wasn't about to let Rick bully the girl into a confession. "You gonna read us our fuckin' Miranda Right's Rick? Don't you come in here accusing us of shit. This is my house, not yours. I've been here all night. You wanna make an arrest or somethin'?"

"Calm down, I'm just trying to figure out what's goin on here. One of our people has been murdered. I think that's a good reason to ask anyone questions." Rick said, holding up his hands.

"She wasn't one of my people, Rick." Carol spat.

"Daryl?" a reluctant little voice called from the hallway.

"Good job, idiots." He grumbled to Rick and Glen as he stormed past Carol and Maggie to get the girl.

"We need a meeting. Now." Rick said. "Glen, round up all the people, tell them it's an emergency. Everyone meet by the gate."

Glen nodded, glanced once again at Maggie and then hurried out the door, Rick close on his heels.

Daryl came through with a very sleepy looking Kenzey.

Carol grabbed Maggie's hands. "Did you do it? Did you go through with it without me?"

"Wait a minute, what?" Daryl spun around, eyes narrowed.

Both women ignored him. "I didn't. I swear. I was gonna tell you tomorrow that I wasn't gonna be able to do it. She ain't caused no problems yet so I thought we could just keep an eye on her. But I wasn't home when it happened. I just got back. This looks bad, Carol."

"You two were plannin' on killin' her?" Daryl growled, "And you didn't even tell me about it?" He seemed more upset about the not telling him part than he did about the fact that they were planning a murder behind his back.

"We were just talkin'. It wasn't like we had a game plan or anything." Carol said defensively. She had actually decided herself not to go through with it.

Daryl looked at Kenzey. "We need to go get you dressed, runt. Town meetin' and you're invited." He gave the women and angry look as he passed.

When he was out of the room Carol pulled Maggie into the kitchen. "Where were you?" She whispered.

"Glen and I had gotten into another argument. I was so mad I just left. I walked around for a while. I looked at the houses and was just thinkin', ya know? But what am I gonna tell Rick? He already thinks I'm crazy after Ed today. Glen too."

"Did anyone see you?" Carol asked, glancing at the doorway.

Maggie shook her head. "Merle. I ran into Merle but that was hours ago."

Daryl showed up then, holding Kenzey's hand. "Ya'll ready?"

Carol took Maggie's hand and nodded.


	17. Chapter 17

**Sorry about the microscopic size of this chapter! I'm having computer issues and I was afraid that if I didn't post it now I would lose it... again. I already lost it once. Anyway, not much action, a little humor, a lot of dialogue. One of those kind of chapters but I hope you like it anyway. I'm starting on the next one right away so maybe I can get two up today since this one is so short. Thanks again for reading and reviewing! =)**

Chapter Seventeen

The night was eerily silent despite the fact that everyone, for the first time since coming to the town, were together. Beth had even scrounged up some clothes for Emily. She stood next to Merle in front of the Gate. Tyreese and Ben were on the wall, close enough to hear. The other two women that had been rescued were standing together off to the side, looking around fearfully. Someone had mentioned to Daryl that their names were Helen and Tara.

The thing that was bothering Daryl for the moment was the fact that Carol and Maggie were also off to themselves, talking in hushed tones. Daryl knew that it wasn't Carol. She had been with him all night but Maggie was a different story. Even if she did it, she should at least tell him. He didn't really give a shit who killed the bitch. He would actually prefer it be one of them. It was the not knowing that was really bothering him and the fact that if Maggie was the culprit then Carol was keeping it from him.

"Daryl?" Rick said from behind him.

He turned and gave Rick a wary look. "Now what?" He asked.

"I need you with me, okay?" He said in a hushed voice.

Daryl nodded. "Hold on." He was still carrying Kenzey so he took her to Carol. He silently handed her over and then walked away. If she was lying to him then they were going to have a real problem. He strode back over to Rick, readjusted his crossbow and nodded. Lying to him and not telling him everything was about the same damn thing.

They walked together to the gate, the crowd actually separating to let them pass. Daryl stood next to Rick and scanned the crowd of faces that were all looking at the two of them. Rick had made some bad calls. He'd alienated himself from the group and his kids and he was a man torn at the moment, not trusting his own decisions. But despite all of that, he was Daryl's friend. His brother. And he would stand with him. For this, he felt it was where he belonged.

Rick turned to him, his voice quiet, "Do you have any idea?" He asked. "Any at all?"

Daryl continued searching the faces of everyone there. Searched each set of eyes. When he reached Carol's he found what he was expecting. Defiance. She was going to stand behind Maggie regardless if the girl did it or not. She gave him a nod, as if letting him know that she understood that right now they were standing on separate sides of a dividing line, and it was okay. He watched as, at the same time, both women reached for the others hand.

"I don't know, Rick. We both know who's even capable of doing it." He glanced over as Rick nodded.

"Me." Rick said quietly. "You. Carol. Merle. Maggie. We're the ones that are really capable of killing, this one anyway. That's pretty unsettling."

"Pretty much, brother. Michonne too but she's the only one that really had Andrea's back through all this. Other than a few arguments."

"You and Carol were at home with Kenzey. I'm the one that got you outta bed so you have an alibi. I was with Glen. Merle was with Emily. That only leaves one person with the motive to do it. But even if we find out who, what the hell do we do about it? Especially if it's one of ours, and I don't see it bein' anybody else."

Daryl nodded. "Let's just get this over with. And I want everyone in the same buildin'. Everybody that's livin in any other buildin' needs to move their asses to ours. Tonight."

"I'm sure by now you all understand why I wanted you out here tonight. One of our own has been killed. Murdered." He gave Carol a pointed look, she glared right back. "Now since she's the only one I have to assume that this is a singular act. Someone had a score to settle. But we ain't takin' any chances. Not with your lives. There's still a lot of empty apartments in our building. I want anyone, other than Beth and Hershel, to move your stuff and find yourselves somewhere to stay. If we are all in the same building then Daryl and I can post ourselves at both entrances and if this did happen to come from some outsider then you'll all be guarded."

"And what if it is one of us, and that person ain't done yet. Isn't putting everyone together in one building just going to up the chances of someone else getting hurt?" Ben asked from the wall.

"That's why you keep your door locked. If you think you can't trust a certain person then don't let that person in your house." Rick said as he studied their faces carefully.

"How are we gonna find out who did it?" Beth asked in that quiet voice she was famous for, unless she was singing.

"We'll start with you." Rick said to her. Her eyes grew wide.

"Me?" She nearly squeaked.

"Where were you tonight? Were you with anyone? Can someone vouch for you? This don't mean I think you did it, Beth. I just need to know who I can mark off the list right away." His voice was gentle.

He watched as she glanced over at Merle, who gave her a nod.

She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, once again flashing her eyes to Merle. "Carl. I've been with Carl for the last three hours or so."

"Carl? But Carl was with Adam." Rick croaked.

Adam shook his head. "I've been with my mom."

Rick put his head close to Daryl's. "Daryl, I'm gonna beat that boy to death. Remind me when this is over, okay?"

Despite the fear in Rick's voice Daryl couldn't help but laugh a little. Rick glared at him and continued on.

"Hershel?" He asked.

Hershel was preoccupied with all of the glaring at Carl he was doing so Rick had to repeat himself.

Hershel's head finally swung around and met his eye. "I was alone in my apartment but I did check in on Emily several times. She can vouch for that."

"Michonne?"

She sighed in annoyance and gestured towards the wall. "I was with Tyreese. At his place."

"Ben?"

"Up here with Axel." Ben called down.

"Sasha?"

"I was with you up until you left with Glen. I wouldn't have had time to kill someone."

"Carol?"

She was still glaring but she nodded towards Daryl. "I was at home in bed with him."

"What about you two?" He asked Helen and Tara. He still didn't know which name went to which woman.

"Sasha showed us our room and we haven't left it. Not all day." The blonde one said.

"Maggie?"

Everyone was silent as her and Rick stared at each other.

"I..." Maggie's voice trailed off.

"She was with me all night."

Everyone's head turned at the sound of Merle's voice.

Glen took a few steps towards him but then stopped. "What?" He shot a look at Maggie. "You told me you were alone. You were with Merle? And then you lied about it?" Glen was shaking with anger.

"I thought you were with Emily, Merle?" Daryl asked, a little confused. He knew Maggie had been alone. So why the hell was Merle lying?

Emily shook her head. "We ate dinner and then he left when my boy got there. I ain't seen Merle here for hours."

Maggie opened her mouth like she was going to say something but then shut it, giving Merle a strange look and then squaring her shoulders. "I was with Merle." She said loudly.

"I can't believe this." Glen said. His voice was quiet but it carried on the silence.

"It wasn't nothin' like that, Glen." Merle said, annoyance saturating his tone.

"Well," Rick said with a shake of his head, "Either we have a liar in our midst or we've been breached and for some reason some stranger came in and killed only one of us." He looked around, gaze settling on Merle. "What were the two of you doing, Merle?"

Merle narrowed his eyes. "Is there a reason I'm the only one getting asked this question? Michonne is just as unhinged as I am. You ain't askin' her what her and the big man were up too."

"That's enough." Rick snapped. "Everyone that needs to start moving needs to do it now."

The group dispersed. Maggie went to Glen, touching his arm but he jerked away from her and stormed off. Daryl shook his head as Maggie just stood there, a dumbstruck look on her face. It reminded him of how Carol must have felt when he used to do that to her every time she would try to help him. But this was different. Glen wasn't him. But Daryl couldn't help but notice that Glen wasn't Glen now days either.

Rick, once more turned to him. "I hate keeping you up all night with this, I just don't know who else to trust around here right now." He rubbed the back of his neck warily.

Daryl shrugged. "It's either be up with you on guard duty all night or fight with Carol. Guard duty is less exhaustin' if you ask me." He left Rick standing there as he walked off to have his showdown with Carol. He figured the more witnesses the better.

"My guess, is someone's lyin'." He said as he approached her. "Or two someones. You got any idea who that could be?"

She gave him a sad smile. "She didn't do this, Daryl. I know she didn't. Merle either."

He was surprised she wasn't laying into him. "I know that. But what are they hidin'? I heard Maggie say herself that she hadn't seen Merle for hours."

Carol shook her head. "I don't know. But I intend to find out."

"Why do I get the feelin' that trouble is brewin'?" He sighed.

They both glanced up as Merle approached them with Emily. Her pace was slow but other than that she looked much better than she had earlier. Her face was cleaned up and other than some bruising around her eyes and left jaw she looked okay.

"Looks like we got a mystery on our hands, huh gang? Feel like I'm in a grown up version of Scooby fuckin' Doo." Merle grumbled.

"You're Daryl." Emily said with a smile as she stuck out a very child like hand.

"Sure am," He said as he shook hands with her.

"Wow, you Dixon boys are just a couple of beauty's ain't ya?" She mused, studying Daryl's face intently.

Even in the firelight everyone could see Daryl's face growing red. Merle just smiled, shaking his head.

"And you're Carol. Merle's first true love and what not. Not that he told me that or nothin' but it's plain on the mans face. You look the type too. Breakin' hearts and kickin' ass. Oh, and cookin'. I suppose I owe you a kiss but we should get to knowin' one another a bit better. You know, you're one helluva woman there Carol, to be able to tame too wild ones like this."

Daryl was having a hard time keeping up with this little thing. She was dwarfed by him, Merle and Carol but somehow made herself seem bigger than all three.

"I...er... It's nice to meet you. Officially of course." Carol stammered.

"So, a killer, huh? Ya'll picked a fine time to find me. Ain't that somethin'? I get saved and brought to this place with all it's electricity and food and then someone goes and kills somebody." She shook her head and smiled. "But I suppose that's the way now days. Merle, you ain't hidin' behind the buildin's and fiddlin' with that Asian boy's woman are ya? Cause that ain't right, not a bit. Leadin' me on like you've been doin' and then messin' round behind my back as soon as my head gets turned around."

Merle gaped at her. "No! I was just...wait, what? I ain't been leadin' you on you crazy woman! And ain't nothin' like that goin' on with Maggie and me. It's... complicated."

She put her hands on her hips. "Why, Merle Dixon. You tellin' me that we didn't have ourselves dinner together tonight?"

"Well, yeah, but..."

"So you don't like me then? Is that what your tryin'a stutter out?" She raised her eyebrows.

"No, I do like you. I mean, I like you, you know. I like to talk to you."

Holy shit. Daryl was watching the exchange in shock. Merle was totally out of his league with this woman. Poor Merle didn't know what to say now. He was completely flustered. He met Carols wide eyes. Her hand was covering her mouth like she was trying to hide her laughter.

"So you think I'm ugly?" She asked deadpan.

"What? No, of course not! That's stupid! You know I don't think your ugly."

"So I'm stupid then? It ain't no wonder you couldn't steal Carol away from your brother here, Merle."

"I didn't say that!"

"You implied it, though. So, I'm ugly and stupid and you're refusin' to even give me a chance. You get you're heart breakin' skills from Carol here, Merle? Cause I thought we hit it off just fine and now you're fiddlin' with other girls and thinkin' I'm ugly and stupid." She shook her head and threw Daryl a wink.

Merle blew out a frustrated breath. "You're crazy! I don't think you're stupid and I sure as hell don't think your ugly and I ain't runnin' around behind your back." He caught himself and then glared at her. "Wait a minute, even if I was fiddlin' with somebody else, it don't matter. How the hell you makin' me feel guilty when I don't even hardly know you?"

She finally laughed. It was a sweet sound that made Daryl laugh right along with her.

"Shut up, you asshole!" Merle was glaring at Daryl now and then Carol couldn't contain hers any longer either. Even Kenzey, who had been watching the exchange with wide eyes was giggling at Merle's obvious discomfort.

"Good lord, Merle. You have got to be the cutest thing I've ever seen in my whole life. Just look at you!" Emily put her arm through his and grinned up at him. The top of her head barely came up to his chest. "Ain't he the cutest damn thing ya'lls ever seen?" She beamed.

"The cutest." Daryl nodded and laughed again.

Merle growled. "Are you ready yet. The doc didn't want you over doin' it. But somethin' tells me that can't be helped."

"You wanna spend the night?" She asked suddenly.

It seemed to Daryl that everything that came out of her mouth was meant to make Merle squirm

Merle blanched. "What? With you?"

"No, of course not. With your brother." She deadpanned. "Yes, with me. Hershel brought out a cot for Adam to sleep on but he's stayin' with that Carl boy."

"So, you want me to spend the night with you?" Merle asked again.

"There could be someone out here killin' people, Merle. I don't know if you've noticed but I ain't in much of a fightin' condition. I'd feel better with you there. Safe."

Merle looked at her for a long moment and then nodded. "That sounds like a fine idea." He steered her towards the clinic and then she turned with a grin.

"It was nice meetin' ya'll. Carol, darlin', I'm lookin' forward to that kiss." She winked and then headed off towards the clinic, her arm still looped through Merle's.

Carol and Daryl looked on in a bit of a daze. "What the hell was that?" He asked.

"That woman is amazing." Carol laughed.

His face grew pensive. "Carol?"

She reached up and put her hand on the side of his face. "I know, Daryl. You have to help Rick. I understand that. And you have to understand that I have to stand behind Maggie and Merle on this. Whether one of them did it or not. And I really believe that they are both innocent."

"Well then let's agree right now that neither one of us is gonna let this thing in, okay? I wont have this messin' us up. I'll tell him I did it before I'd let that happen. And if we find out that Maggie did it..." His voice trailed off as he looked over at the girl sitting on the curb with her head in her hands. "Well, ain't gonna let nothin' happen to her. Nothin'. I'll figure somethin' out. But this is it, woman. You wont lie to me again. You understand that? I earned the truth from you."

"I didn't..."

He pinched her lips together between his thumb and forefinger. "You didn't tell me. Same difference. I know the same rules don't apply now that did back when the world was normal but lyin' is lyin', no matter what the world is now. Not again." He let go of her lips and stepped back, kneeling down in front of Kenzey and musing her hair. "You be good for your... Carol. His eyes widened. "Be good for, Carol, okay?" He repeated before walking away towards Maggie.

Jesus Daryl, pull your head outta your ass, he thought to himself. He'd almost said momma. That would opened up some damn scars for both of them. He knew, without a doubt in his mind, that Carol already loved the girl, but the girl wasn't hers. To him she was already theirs but Kenzey wasn't Sophia. She wasn't a replacement daughter for Carol and he was afraid if he had said what he was about to say then that is how Carol would have taken it. He shook his head as he nudged Maggie's leg with his foot.

She looked up, eyes streaming and lost. He almost wanted to flinch away from the girls obvious pain. He was better than he had ever been when it came to dealing with certain things. Things that used to make him tuck tail and run, he now faced head on. And an emotional Maggie was one of those things he wanted to bolt from. But instead he held out his hand to her.

She took it hesitantly and then let him pull her up from the curb. She stared up at him bravely for a few long seconds but then her face crumpled and she let her head drop to his chest. People were watching, which made him more uncomfortable than the actual contact but he took a deep breath, pretended no one was there and he wasn't a callous bastard and wrapped his arms around her. She did the same and then was sobbing into his chest, her shoulders shaking with the force of those sobs. If Merle could comfort the girl, even through his rage in the basement then Daryl could comfort her now even through his awkwardness on the street. And truth was, he did want to offer some sort of comfort. He would complain about Maggie Green until the day he died but truth was, he loved the girl. She was like a little sister to him.

He leaned his head down until he was close to her ear. "Maggie, if you did this you have to tell me. I can't help you if I don't know the truth." He whispered as everyone watched them, looks of confusion or shock on their faces not to mention a glowering Glen. This was not typical Daryl Dixon behavior.

She pulled her face away from his chest and searched his eyes desperately. "I didn't." She shook her head. "I'd never do that without Carol. I swear it. Somethin's goin' on here but it wasn't me. I don't think it was any of us." The fear on her face was real. He knew that. And although he wasn't sure what was going on he did know that she was telling him the truth.

He nodded. "Then I'm gonna find out what's goin' on. No more goin' off by yourself. You got it?" He swiped her tears away roughly with his thumbs but there were more to replace them so he gave up.

Eventually the crowd dispersed and it was just Rick and Daryl. With Ben and Tyreese still on the wall.

"What do you think?" Rick asked.

Daryl watched Maggie make her way towards the apartments and shook his head. "She didn't do it."

Rick frowned. "You sure?"

He nodded. "I know what you're thinkin'. Especially after what she did to Ed today but I don't see her doin' somethin' like that."

"Merle?" Rick asked. His voice hopeful.

Daryl shot him a look of annoyance. "Why are you so fuckin' quick to say it was Merle or Maggie?"

Rick sighed and looked down. "Because I don't wanna think it's someone else. Some outsider coming in here. You were right. This place is too much for us. Maybe we should go with your plan. Take the food and guns and get our asses back to the prison so we know we're safe."

"I ain't takin' that little girl to a fuckin' prison. She's gonna grow up right here. This is my town." Daryl growled. He left Rick standing there as he stormed off towards the building he was suppose to be guarding.

Carol expected it when she heard the light tap on the door. She opened it up and ushered Maggie inside. Kenzey had went right back to sleep so she had been up pacing the living room waiting.

"Are you okay?" She asked as she pulled Maggie into her arms. It was a lot more natural for her than it was for Daryl to give the girl comfort. But she was proud of him tonight. The way he stood there with Rick, she couldn't help but admire the man he was now.

"I'm just tired. Tired of the way everybody's been lookin' at me. Fightin' with Glen. It's just been a hard day."

Carol patted her back. "Why don't you let me fix the couch up for you. Tomorrow is gonna be a new day."

Maggie nodded and then stiffened when another knock sounded at the door. They gave each other a look, both knowing who was knocking.

"Glen." Carol said brusquely by way of greeting.

"Can I talk to Maggie?" He asked. He still looked angry.

"I don't know, Glen. You think you're capable of talkin' to her without making her feel worse than she already does?"

"If she feels bad then that's her fault. I've done nothing wrong here." He snapped.

Carol tried to slam the door in his face but he stuck his foot out to stop her.

"Look," He sighed. "I just want to talk to her. Just ask her if she wants to."

"It's okay, Carol. Let him in." Maggie said from behind her.

Carol kept her face stern as she opened the door wider so he could slip past. "I'll be in the kitchen. You make sure you watch yourself, Glen." She warned as she stormed out.


	18. Chapter 18

**Okay, this is another short one. We get to delve further into the psyche of Merle and learn a little more about Miss Emily in the process. Read it. Review it. Enjoy it! Thanks to everyone for all of your thoughts and reviews!**

Chapter Eighteen

Merle didn't think he would ever go to sleep but eventually he felt himself starting to doze off. His head was still spinning from the whirlwind conversation they had had outside. It didn't continue once they were back inside though. She had given him a sad smile as she got back into the hospital bed and curled up on her side, facing him. He had closed his eyes then, willing sleep but it wasn't working like it usually did.

But finally sleep was encroaching. Until a noise had him sitting straight up. His eyes instantly went to the bed but it was empty. His heart stuttered and then started slamming against his ribcage. He looked towards the adjoining bathroom and noticed that the door was closed. He let out a heavy breath, throwing the sheet back and putting his bare feet onto the cold floor. He mopped at his now sweaty face with one hand. Scared the shit outta me. He thought to himself. He was sure that, while he was dozing off, someone had came in and taken her off somewhere. He barely knew her but that didn't matter. Didn't matter a bit. She was the most amazing person he had ever met in his life. And the strongest. He didn't understand how in the world she could be such a spitfire after everything that had happened to her.

He heard something coming from the direction of the bathroom. It sounded like a sob. He stared at the door, not knowing what to do. Too scared to move. If she had wanted him to help her then she would have woken him up and asked him for help. She hadn't. He remembered their conversation from dinner earlier. She didn't want no ones pity and he didn't blame her. He wouldn't have either. Another broken sound had him wincing. He was going to leave her be. It was her pain. Not his and he was going to stay right there where he was until she told him she needed him. Then he would be there for her. As best he could anyway. He didn't know the first thing about a real woman. Regardless of how much he bragged in the past about his conquests the truth was, he'd never had anyone that wasn't a whore. Just an easy piece to bend over some trash cans in the back ally of whatever bar he'd met her in.

The only woman that had ever given him the time of day was Carol. And then Maggie. Other than that, he couldn't name a woman he'd ever spent more than five minutes talking to. Not respectable women like them and certainly not this strange woman.

Another sound. Another wince. There was a strange feeling that ran from his chest to the pit of his stomach. He didn't know what it was right away. It hurt but not in the way he was used to pain. This was something deeper than that. Hidden. Ignored for more years than Merle cared to remember. A pain that he had buried so long ago that it was alien to him now.

He didn't want to feel it. Didn't want anything to do with it because he knew that once that wall came all the way down that pain was going to be unbearable. He stood up and ground the heels of his hands into his eyes. A vision of his father standing over him with a wooden cane, his grandfathers cane. Saw as, a much younger Merle, put up his arms to protect his face from the drunken mans rage. Heard the snap before he felt the pain as the wood made contact with his arm, breaking the bone. Another vision. Another day. Still the same boy and the same enraged man. Merle could almost feel the rough hand clutching the back of his neck as his face was rammed into a wall. Taste the blood that had filled his mouth and poured from his nose. Memories raised their ugly heads as Merle tried to fight them away. Merle as a boy thrown to the ground and the sound of a leather strap as it ripped at the tender flesh of his back.

Carol had started this. Started chipping away at the wall he hid behind. Maggie helped too, chipping away a little more. Beth had her own little pick ax in his heart. But this woman, somehow she ripped the whole mother fucker down with those soft pitiful sounds she was making behind that door. Merle wanted to run. He wanted out of this room. Out of this town. Away from these fucked up people with all their love and understanding. Away from this woman that was probably more broken than he was. He had nothing to give them. He had nothing to give her. His heart was beating too fast, he couldn't quite catch his breath. Another sound from the bathroom had him almost running for the door to the waiting room. He wanted out. He needed that wall.

Another vision had him stopping in his tracks. A vision of his brother, probably five or six. Merle was older by then. Old enough to defend himself better. Old enough to have that wall in place. He was stoned on something that day, he couldn't remember what. But he walked into the garage for something and there Daryl was, stripped down to his underwear. Just a skinny little thing back then. He heard the sound of the strap and then saw the blood as Daryl screamed. Daryl was too young back then to know that the screaming only made it worse. Another lash and the boy hit the floor. Another lash and he was trying to role away. And then Daryl had looked up, seeing Merle standing there, relief showing in the boys blue eyes. Merle is here, those eyes seemed to say. Merle's gonna make this stop. He tried to say Merle's name but another lash had him screaming again. He was pleading with his eyes for Merle to help him. And Merle had ran. Left his brother there to take the beatings. Left him alone to face that man. He left. And he hadn't come back for a long long time. And when he did he knew his brother was broken. And he knew it was his fault. Might as well have been him beating the boy. Because all he did was leave him there. Never tried to help.

He stared at the door for a second and then backed away from it. He had been a coward. He couldn't do it again. Couldn't leave someone that might need him. He stormed over to the bathroom door, took a deep shuddering breath and blew it out slowly while he tapped lightly. "Emily?" His voice sounded strange to his own ears.

"I'm fine, Merle. I'll be out in a minute. Go back to sleep." her voice was so raw that the pain in Merle's chest grew until his hands were shaking.

He reached for the knob and turned it slowly. Unlocked.

"Merle, please don't." She whispered.

He opened the door anyway, stepping in and then pulling it shut behind him. There was a candle on the sink, the only light in the room. She was on the floor with her back against the wall, her knees pulled up to her chest. Her arms were wrapped around them and her head laid on her knees with her face looking towards the other wall. He couldn't see her face. He didn't think he wanted to right now. Wasn't sure what his own may look like at the moment and he knew he didn't want her to see his.

He sat down beside her, pressing his own back to the wall and stretching his legs out in front of him.

"Merle, as sweet as you are and as much as I like you, I don't need your pity. I don't want it." She tried to make her voice strong but she failed miserably and then her shoulder's shook a little.

"I ain't here to pity you. That ain't gonna help anything. I'm just here."

"Here for what?" She choked back a sob and before he knew it he had his arm around her.

She didn't try to pull away like he thought she would. Instead she finally turned her face to him and the agony there had his breath stopping and his heart pulling double time again.

"Just here." he said again in a voice so quiet he wasn't sure if she heard him.

She let him pull her closer, he wasn't even sure what he was suppose to do but all she had needed was a little coaxing and then she nearly threw herself all the way into his lap. She curled up there like a child and buried her face into his shoulder. Her entire body shook with the intensity of her cries. He held onto her small frame as tight as he could without hurting her. Her arms locked tightly around his neck. His shirt was soaking up the warm evidence of her pain. He didn't say a word to her and eventually her body grew still, her arms loosened from around his neck. He didn't know how long they had been there on the floor. He didn't care.

"Say somethin', Merle." she whispered.

"What am I suppose to say?" he whispered back.

"I don't care. I just wanna hear you talk."

He took a deep breath. "You ain't gotta be ashamed of what happened to you, you know that? Ain't none of it your fault. You been holdin' this in all day for nothin'. I woulda understood. You can't be tough all the time. I don't care where your from."

"You don't get it." She said softly. "A man like you ain't never been a victim. You ain't powerless or weak."

"You wanna hear me talk, huh?" He asked so low she barely heard him.

She nodded.

"Let me tell you a story about my daddy, then. Maybe you'll change your mind."

Carol awoke as she felt the weight of someone else crawling into the bed. She smiled sleepily as Daryl's arm snaked around her middle and pulled her back against him. It was still dark outside so she knew she would have a few more hours which she was thankful for since she had a rough time keeping herself asleep since he wasn't with her.

By the time she woke up for good the sun was coming through the window at an odd angle. She was usually up before dawn. She threw off the blankets and squirmed out from under Daryl's heavy arm so she could get out of the bed. He didn't wake up but this didn't surprise her anymore. She pulled on a pair of jeans and watched him as he rolled over onto his stomach. She gave herself a few moments to admire the muscled plains of his back. He didn't hide the scars anymore. Even though they were what remained of a cruel and terrible childhood, they were apart of him and she admired them too. It showed exactly how strong he was, what he could endure and what he could grow from. She was smiling when she left the room.

She opened Kenzey's door, just to see if she was awake but she was still sound asleep, sprawled out on the bed with a tangle of dark hair covering half of her face. She was almost surprised to find the living room empty, the blankets she had given Maggie the night before were folded neatly on the arm of the couch. She knew that Merle had told Maggie to meet him in front of the apartments at dawn. They were going to go together to kill the men who had raped Emily. She thought that maybe after the events of last night that Maggie would have had a change of heart. Apparently not. She hadn't even been sure if Merle would have gone through with it. People were already looking at them both like they were insane. Carol couldn't help but wonder if those people just might be right. She hated herself for thinking it but she couldn't help it.

She started the coffee and then gasped as she turned and saw Daryl and Kenzey standing there. Then she had to laugh. They were wearing the same grouchy face and their hair was sticking up in odd angles, Kenzey's looked as though rodents had burrowed into the long curls.

"It's too early to be laughin' at us Carol." Kenzey griped as Daryl gave her boost onto the stack of books he had put in one of the chairs the night before.

"I wouldn't dream of it, sweetheart." She grinned at them and then went to try to do something with Daryl's hair. He slapped at her hands and kept jerking his head away and then finally grabbed her by the wrists and pulled her down onto his lap, kissing her on the mouth.

"Gross." Kenzey mumbled.

They laughed.

"You need a haircut." Carol mused as she finally managed to get his hair to stay flat.

"I need you to do me a favor." he said, his face growing serious.

"What?" She asked.

"Shut up." He grinned.

Kenzey laughed which caused Carol to fail at her attempts to give him a dirty look.

She made quick work of breakfast, Kenzey declining to help this time since Daryl started cleaning his bow. She was fascinated with it. She asked so many questions that Daryl finally just started explaining everything about the weapon to her.

There was a knock at the door but when Carol turned around Kenzey and Daryl were so engrossed in their discussion about arrows that she went to get it herself.

"Michonne? Is everything alright?" Carol asked as she wiped her hands on a dishrag.

Michonne smirked. "Everything's fine as far as I know. Can I come in?"

"Oh, shit, sure. I'm cookin' breakfast. You hungry?" They entered the kitchen.

"Sure, I'll take coffee. Black." She smiled at Kenzey.

Carol snorted. "Well, that's nutritional."

"I had breakfast already. It was actually Rick that sent me up here." She said as she sat down at the table across from Daryl.

This got Daryl's attention. "Where's Rick?"

"On the wall." She said rolling her eyes. "That man don't sleep."

Carol sat a cup of coffee in front of both adults and then a cup of juice in front of Kenzey. "Why did he send you, not that I ain't glad you're here. We've barely had time to talk since we got here."

Michonne gave her an actual smile. "He sent me up to tell you both that Merle and Maggie have been in that basement for five hours now. No one has seen them since they went in at dawn. And no one wants to go down there cause no one really wants to actually see what they are doing."

"What are they doin'?" Kenzey asked before she started digging into her eggs.

"Killin' some bad men." Daryl said casually without looking up.

Kenzey just shrugged and continued eating.

Carol smacked him hard in the back of the head almost causing Michonne to spit coffee all over the table.

"Ouch! What the fuck Carol?" He said as he rubbed at his head.

"You don't tell a four year old that!" Carol hissed.

"Why the hell not? That's what they're doin'. She's old enough to handle the damn truth. I ain't gonna lie to her. People that lie to their kids are stupid. It ain't good for a kid to be lied to and I'll be damned if I'm gonna lie to mine."

"He's right, Carol. If those men are dangerous then they need to be dealt with." Kenzey said, sounding, once again, much older than she was.

Michonne leaned back in her chair and watched them as they all argued.

"You don't need to know the details, Kenzey." Carol said calmly. "You're a little girl. You don't need to hear about things like that."

Kenzey narrowed her eyes and tipped her chin up a little higher. "I ain't just a little girl. I'm his girl and by god if that means I get the truth, even when it's ugly, then that's what I get. Dixon's handle shit Carol. You should know that by now."

They all jerked back as, this time, Michonne actually did spray coffee all over the table. She covered her mouth, her dark eyes wide and then she busted out laughing. She was clutching her stomach and wiping her eyes by the time she was done. "I'm so sorry." She said as she stood up and went to the sink for a rag. "Oh, Lord." She was still wiping her eyes and giggling when she returned to clean up the mess. "I've never in my life seen a better match. I'm comin' over every damn morning."

Daryl had joined in with the laughter but Carol was, amazingly, able to keep a straight face. Kenzey just continued eating without a word.

"Fine. Your right. I guess you're entitled to the truth. And the truth is, Daryl over there," She looked at him pointedly, "Is a jackass."

Kenzey nodded. "I'm your little girl too, Carol. And that means that I'm smart enough to have figured that out by now." And with that she got up from the table, put her plate in the sink and headed off to her room.

Michonne started laughing again but this time it was Carol who joined in. Daryl just looked at them with narrowed eyes as he continued to clean the bow.

Michonne didn't stay long after that, which was fine with Carol since she needed to give Kenzey a bath anyway. As she was leaving the kitchen to run the tub Daryl grabbed her by the wrist, stopping her.

"You're okay with that?" He asked quietly, sounding unsure.

Carol frowned. "With what?"

"With her sayin' she's yours?" He seemed worried. "Or half yours, anyway."

She knew where this was coming from and she wished she had realized his concerns sooner. She wondered how much time he had spent worrying about her. "Of course it's fine." She smiled. "I have enough heart to love both girls Daryl. She ain't a replacement, I would never look at her like that. But she's mine just like she's yours. I felt that way from the minute Merle found her."

He slid his hand down her wrist to her hand and then pulled her closer. "You're one hell of a woman, you know that?"

She grinned and kissed him lightly. "Sure do. And Michonne, she's right. You two are quite the match. There ain't a kid in the world that could possibly be more like you, even if you'd fathered her yourself."

He shook his head and laughed quietly. "I was just thinkin' the same thing."

They all headed out of the apartment at the same time. Daryl was off to find Rick and Carol had decided to let Kenzey get some fresh air and for some reason the kid was dying to see Beth. The weather was amazing. The heat had been getting pretty bad on everyone but this morning the temperature was hovering somewhere around seventy five if the thermometer hanging next to the drug store entrance was correct. It seemed like everyone was outside.

To the left they could see that Carl and Michonne were on the wall, which meant that Daryl would have to go search for Rick. Hershel sat on the steps of the clinic with the two new women and Axel. When they glanced towards the right they could see Tyresse and Beth, holding Judith, sitting on a bench with Emily while her son stood a few feet away talking to Ben, Sasha and a quite haggard looking Glen.

"Well, where the hell could Rick be?" Daryl grumbled as he followed Carol down the street.

Carol was smiling as she approached Emily. There was something about this mountain woman that made her want to be around her. She was one of those people that just made others want to gravitate towards them. When Emily saw them she smiled and waved. Tyreese stood up and offered Carol the seat next to the tiny woman.

Emily grinned up at her and winked. "Can you believe we can just sit out here like this? Enjoy the sunshine and the birds singing without a worry? It's amazin'." She said to Carol as she sat down beside her.

"Yes, it is." Carol breathed.

"Who do we have here?" Emily asked with a grin as she spotted Kenzey clinging to Daryl's leg.

Kenzey waved and offered a guarded smile.

Daryl and Tyreese struck up a conversation that Carol only half heard as she looked around. They really were lucky to have what they had. "So, is your boy enjoyin' himself here, Emily?" She asked as she gazed at the little girl. The sunlight was bringing out all sorts of colors in her dark hair.

"You wouldn't believe how happy he is. Seems like everything we had to go through was worth it, to end up here with you people. It means the world to be able to send your kid outside and not havin' to worry bout him getting bitten. But you already know that seein's how you're a momma and all."

Carol just smiled. Emily seemed different than she had last night. A little less chaotic. Then again there was no Merle to pick at so maybe that was the cause of the change.

"Holy mother of God." Tyreese whispered, his eyes were wide as he looked over Daryl's shoulder at something across the street.

Daryl, not knowing what had caused such a reaction had Kenzey behind him and his crossbow pointed to whatever Tyreese was seeing. He lowered the crossbow to his side. Carol, Emily and Beth looked at the same time, all three gasping. The whole town was watching as Merle and Maggie emerged from the doorway of the building across the street.

"Jesus Christ. What the hell have they done?" Tyreese breathed.

Carol felt sick to her stomach. For six hours they had been down in that basement. And it was painfully obvious what they had been doing. They were actually holding hands. Hands that were covered in bright blood. There clothes were saturated in it, their faces splashed, even Maggie's hair was wet with it. They both wore grim expressions but there was something obvious in both of their eyes. They had enjoyed themselves down there.

Carol spared a glance down the street and saw everyone that had been sitting down was now standing up but no one dared come any closer to the duo. They left two bloody tracks behind every step they took. Carol glanced towards Emily, fearing what she would see on the woman's face and finding something she never expected. A satisfied smile.

Merle and Maggie stopped in the middle of the street and they both looked around at all the people staring at them. Maggie's eyes locked onto Carol's and she nodded. No one moved for a very long time and then they looked at each other and said something no one else could hear.

And then to the astonishment to everyone watching, they hugged. Hugged! The stickiness from their blood soaked shirts actually caused the garments to stick together as they finally pulled away from one another. Tyreese gagged and turned his head.

Maggie, without looking at anyone else took off down the street, heading towards the apartments. Merle came straight at them.

"Beth, take Kenzey down there with your dad." Daryl said quietly.

Beth didn't have to be told twice. She stood up quickly with the baby, took Kanzey's hand and hurried off down the street. Carol stood up and turned to make sure Emily was okay. She was still smiling and she had the strangest gleam in her eyes.

Merle walked past them all. He stood in front of Emily and actually offered her his bloody hand. She took it, gazing up at him with a look that could only be described as adoration.

"Is it over?" She asked quietly as she twined her fingers through his.

"It's over." He nodded and then they walked away.

Carol almost felt sick. Daryl's face was pale and poor Tyreese was throwing up in the nearest trash can.

"What the fuck just happened?" Daryl whispered, his voice filled with shock as he watched them walk down the street.

Carol just shook her head slowly as she reached blindly for Daryl's hand. "I believe Merle Dixon just found his redemption." She said quietly. Even through the nausea she felt a strange smile tug at her lips. "Good for you, Merle." She whispered as Daryl gaped at her.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

It wasn't a surprise to Daryl that the one thing everyone wanted to talk about was Merle and Maggie. A whole week passed by and every time he saw someone other than Carol, that was the topic. Merle and Maggie had done their own cleanup. They had to take the bodies out in trash bags. Daryl could only assume that they had to be in quite a few pieces for someone to have no choice but to use bags to get them out.

The duo also still vehemently denied having anything to do with Andrea's murder. Maggie was still sleeping on his couch. She rarely left Carol's side and when she did it was to go off with Merle on some errand or another. They were together on the wall and they were together on patrol. Which caused a whole new round of gossip that Daryl was sick of hearing about. It was quite clear, to him anyway, that there was nothing going on between the two. Somehow they found a kindred spirit in one another. They were friends. When they weren't gossiping about Merle and Maggie they were talking about Merle and Emily. It was growing old really fast.

"You gonna eat that?" Emily asked from her usual place at the table.

Daryl grunted at her and moved his plate closer to himself. Their dinner table was always full now. Merle and Emily came over every night. Usually her son tagged along but tonight he was with Carl somewhere doing whatever it was that kids did now days. Maggie was there too. Like she always was.

Breakfast wasn't any better. Michonne stuck true to her word. She was there every morning for breakfast, like that wasn't bad enough she always brought Tyreese with her. Sometimes Rick would show up with Carl. A few times even Beth and Hershel were there. It seemed like someone was always there. Assholes all had their own places but still wanted to pile up somewhere.

"Daryl, I gotta say, when you make that angry face, it brings out the blue in them pretty eyes of yours." Emily said around a mouth full of food.

Daryl just grunted. The bruises on her face were faded to almost nothing. She had told them that she was thirty five but with her small build and smattering of freckles across her cheeks and nose, she looked twenty years younger than that.

"You know who else has started noticin' how pretty you are?" She asked.

"Shut up." Daryl grumbled. Kenzey gave him a knowing smile from across the table.

"Helen. I don't know her well but it's plain as day. I heard her and Tara talkin' the other day. It was the strangest thing too. They was talkin' about how you wear your pants. Said they ain't never seen a man that can make just a regular old rugged pair of pants look so sexy." She shook her head. "Carol, I'd keep an eye on that woman if I's you."

Everyone else thought this was funny. Daryl glanced back up at Kenzey, at least he could count on her. She was scowling down at her food and then she raised her head slowly, managing to look extremely intimidating despite the fact that she was just little kid.

"She'd best watch herself. Carol, if you don't say somethin' to her then I will." She said in a menacing little voice. Even he had to smile now. Even though he was in no mood to do so.

"I'll keep that in mind." Carol said with a grin.

Eventually everyone left, except Maggie, of course. She was helping Carol with the dishes when he decided that it was time for them to talk. He leaned against the counter casually and crossed his arms. Kenzey stood across the room and mimicked him, crossing her own arms and frowning.

"Maggie, when are you goin' home?" He asked. He made sure to keep his voice neutral but his question still earned him a stern look from Carol. He didn't care. He was damn tired of walking around on eggshells in his own home.

"I ain't put much thought into it." She answered without looking at him.

"You've gotta give that boy a break. He wants you back." Daryl pleaded on Glen's behalf.

Maggie turned around, eyes flashing angrily. "He thinks I was sleepin' with Merle Dixon. He actually said that. Said that he forgives me for it. Anybody that can think I would do something like that can go straight to hell."

"Maggie, almost everybody thinks your sleepin' with him!" Daryl argued.

"And do you see me havin' much to do with them? I'm tired of this place. I'm tired of the looks people give me and I'm tired of all the talkin' behind my back."

"Can you really blame them?" Daryl asked.

"Yes, I can. I can at least blame Glen. If he was in the same situation I would believe him. I would trust him. But right then, as soon as Merle said he had been with me that night, Glen jumped right to that conclusion. So to hell with Glen and to hell with the others."

"But you still spend a lot of time with Merle. If you're worried about what people are sayin' then why pour fuel on the fire?" Daryl asked.

"I ain't worried about what they're sayin'. I just want them to stop sayin' it. Merle's my friend. Me and him..." She didn't finish her sentence. "I'm not gonna stop bein' with Merle just because people wanna talk. It ain't fair that I'd have to do that. And it's plain that him and Emily are a thing. Or they will be."

Daryl sighed. He gave up and grabbed his crossbow. "You comin', kid?" He asked. Any time it was his shift he took her with him now. She never bugged him or threw any fits when he left, but she did get this sad look in her eyes that he couldn't stand. So she was his constant companion and he liked it that way.

"Yep." She grinned and took his hand.

"Be careful." Carol called over her shoulder as they walked out.

"He hates me." Maggie sighed as she leaned into the counter.

"He loves you." Carol said, giving her a smile. "He just wants his couch back."

"Maybe I should just move in with Merle. Give them somethin' else to talk about."

"Maggie, the only place I want you to go is right back to where you belong."

"I would but I don't want to share a room with Beth and daddy barely even looks at me anymore."

"You know I wasn't talkin' about you movin' in with your dad. Go home to Glen."

"No. He thinks I slept with Merle and he thinks I killed Andrea. Far as I'm concerned Glen go jump off a bridge. Besides, seems to me like him and Sasha are getting' pretty cozy. I saw her leavin' his apartment the other day."

"So. You spend all your free time with Merle. It doesn't mean anything." Carol laughed. "You still love him, Maggie."

"I ain't gonna be with someone that don't trust me. Every time he looks at me I know what he see's. A murdering slut. And I ain' neither of those things."

Carol just shook her head. "Well, if that's how you feel then there ain't nothin' I can do to change that."

"Let's get outta here." Maggie said suddenly. "I'm tired of bein' cooped up. The sun is goin down and its pretty cool out there. Wanna walk with me?"

Carol nodded. "Sounds good. I think I need to check out this Helen situation anyway." She smiled.

Maggie rolled her eyes. "The last thing you need to do is worry about Daryl and other women. You two are so in love it makes me wanna puke."

"I know. But still, I don't like the thought of that woman undressin' him with her eyes." She laughed. "I'd like to see what Kenzey would say to her if given the chance though."

Maggie laughed. "You and me both."

As soon as they stepped out into the hallway Glen was about to go into his apartment. Maggie froze and narrowed her eyes. He just shook his head, looking at her sadly. "Hi, Maggie."

She nodded and was about to turn when Carol elbowed her in the side. "Hello, Glen." She offered grudgingly.

"How've you been?" He asked, looking surprised that she was actually talking to him.

"How do you think?" She snapped and what hope that had been showing on his face fell away.

"I wouldn't know." he shrugged. "You don't talk to me anymore."

"And that's my fault too, huh." Maggie spat.

Carol groaned. "That's enough!"

They both looked at her like they had forgotten she was even there.

"Glen, look at Maggie. I mean really really look at her. Think back to everything the two of you have been through. Think really hard, now."

Glen looked at Maggie, a sad smile lingering on his lips before his eyes met Carol's once more. "What's your point, Carol?"

"Do you think she could really do the things you accused her of. You think, Glen. Use your head, not your pride. Use your heart, not your ego. Look at her and then tell me that you think she is really and truly cheating on you with Merle. Merle! For God sakes."

Glen frowned at her but did what she said. He studied Maggie's face, his brow furrowing. The three of them stood there in a the hallway for a long time. But finally, to Carol's delight, Glen shook his head. "I don't. I really truly don't. I don't understand what is going on but I know she isn't sleeping with him."

"And do you really think she could kill a person. A person that used to be a part of our group?"

That sad look came over his face again as he looked at Maggie this time. "Yes. I do." He said softly.

"Let's go." Maggie barked as she grabbed Carol by the arm and led her towards the exit door.

When they got outside Carol stopped her. "Maggie, wait"

Maggie blew out a breath and spun around. "I already told you. I wont be with someone that don't trust me."

"He said he didn't think you slept with Merle. Isn't that enough?"

"No."

"Now you're just bein' stubborn." Carol crossed her arms.

"How could he think I did that?" Maggie said as she sank down on the curb.

Carol sat down next to her and sighed. "Maggie, what you and Merle did..."

"Me and Merle did what we had to do. That needed to be done. Those men needed to pay. Ed needed to pay. Do you think that is what this is about? He thought I killed her before I ever went into that basement Carol."

"Okay. That's fair." Carol held up her hands. "Just think about it though, okay? That's all I'm askin'. You can stay with us for the rest of your life if that's what you really want but I can see it on your face that it isn't. You wanna go home. You wanna be with Glen. You're just bein' stubborn."

Maggie was quiet for a while before she finally nodded. "Okay. Maybe I'll go over there later. I ain't makin' you any promises though. But I'll try to talk to him."

Carol stood up and then pulled Maggie up with her. "We're suppose to be walkin', remember?"

Daryl was bored out of his mind. They had spent a year running, hiding and fighting. This domestic life wasn't something he was used to. Hell, he wasn't used to this even before the world ended. He'd always had to fight. But this, this was just boring. He was glad his people were safe. Glad they weren't all huddled together in a whole somewhere starving. But he was so used to action that he was physically itching to do something. Anything.

"Hi there." An unfamiliar female voice said from behind him. Rick had taken off a few minutes ago to take a leak so when Daryl heard someone climbing up the wall he assumed it was Rick returning. That, unfortunately, was not the case. Helen stood there, a smile on her face.

He didn't return the smile. He just turned his head and stared back out at the empty road ahead. He remembered the one sided conversation Emily had during dinner. Surely she was making it up.

"Strong silent type huh?" She moved a little closer.

He scowled at her and then turned his head again. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Kenzey glaring at the woman but the woman wasn't paying any attention to her.

"So, you're Carol's man, huh?" She asked. Still inching closer.

He finally decided to talk, "Yep," was his only response.

"I've heard some pretty interesting stories about her." Helen said sounding even closer.

He grunted and then shifted uncomfortably. He didn't like this woman. At all.

"So, how long have the two of you been together?" She asked.

"Ain't you got somewhere to be?" Kenzey asked from Daryl's other side. He felt the corners of his lips turn up.

"Oh, hello. I didn't even see you back there. It's Kenzey, right?" The woman's smile grew.

"Maybe if you would yank your eyeballs off Daryl for a second you'd be able to see a little better." The girl snapped angrily.

Now Daryl looked at the woman, a slow smile spreading across his face. She didn't look happy. "Are you just going to let her talk to an adult that way?" She asked Daryl.

He shrugged. "If the kid has somethin' to say, she says it."

"He ain't interested, ya know. He already has a woman, that would probably punch you in the face if she knew you was up here lookin' at him that way. Maybe you outta think on that."

"There a problem?" Rick asked from behind Helen.

"Bout time." Daryl grumbled.

Helen turned. "No. No problem at all," She made her way around him.

"Helen here has a problem, Rick."Kenzey offered. "But I gotta feelin' she's gonna get over it real quick. Specially when I tell Carol what she was up here tryin' to pull."

Helen ignored her and climbed down.

Rick laughed. "Maybe you should keep that to yourself, kid. We don't need anyone else getting killed around here."

Merle nodded to Maggie and Carol as they passed by. Him and Emily had been outside most of the day. She couldn't get over the fact that it was safe. She could be outdoors with no worries and she loved it. He didn't mind either. He was never one that liked to be cooped up.

"So, I was thinkin', Merle." Emily said suddenly.

"You're always thinkin', woman. Thinkin' or talkin'" He sighed. He was getting better at keeping up with her now. She wasn't as bad when they were alone as she was when they were around people. When she was around other people she put on her tough girl face and did her comedy routine. Whenever they were alone she was usually pretty mellow. Her mask would come off then and he would get to see the real woman. The one that was still struggling through her ordeal as best she could. "Well, are you ever gonna tell me what you were thinkin' or did you just wanna let me know that that's what you were doin'?"

She elbowed him in the arm. "You wanna move in with me?"

He had just turned up a bottle of water and was now choking on the drink he had tried to swallow. She smacked his back hard. "What?" He choked, literally.

"Well, Jesus aged Christ, Merle. If I knew the thought of livin' with me was gonna kill ya then I'd have never brought it up. I just thought that since you was always around anyways that it wouldn't make much a difference. The only time you leave is to go home and sleep or when you go off with your girl. Other than that we're together."

Merle scowled. "She ain't my girl."

"She's your girl, darlin'. Always will be now." Emily smiled brightly like this news didn't bother her in the least and then Merle found himself upset by the fact that it didn't bother her. She was so confusing.

"She ain't my girl." He repeated.

"Merle, I ain't sayin' the two of you are off neked somewheres. I'm just sayin', you and hers got something together. Somethin' that is just yours and hers. Things like that make people closer." She looked thoughtful for a second and then her eyes brightened. "Like blood brothers." She grinned. "You two chose one another."

"Huh?"

"What ya'll did together down in that basement. Nobody really knows, I don't think they want too. But you and her know. You killed together. You went in there and someones whole existence was wiped out, everything they've ever thought about, every memory they've ever had, every secret they ever hid away, gone. You two took that from'em. It's a mighty powerful thing ya'll shared. I saw your faces when you finally came out. It made you closer. A lot closer than something like sex ever could." She scoffed. "And that's why she'll always be your girl. That's somethin' that'll always be just yours"

"Leave it to you to make killin' sound romantic." He grumbled.

She laughed a little harder at that. "It ain't romantic. I don't believe you even know what the word means. It's not like that. I can't explain it right."

He patted her knee absently. "I think I know what your sayin'. I just wish everybody else around here thought like you. Every time I turn around there's somebody there talkin'. If they ain't talkin' about you and me then they're talkin' about me and her. Either way, they're always talkin' about me."

"So, are we movin' in together or what? Give'em somethin' else to talk about. I got an extra room, ya know. And your brother's right below me."

"When did you come up with this?" He asked instead of answering her question. Truth was he didn't know what to say. She was right. They were always together. He was always reluctant to leave her, even if it was just to go on watch or patrol with Maggie. He thought about her all the time. She burrowed into his head like a tick.

"When you left last night. It's just me and Adam. He's a good boy and after spendin' so much time with Carl he's a damn good shot. But it's always better when you're there. Safer when your there. And when you ain't there I'm always wishin' you was and when you knock on the door in the mornins I have a hard time wipin' the smile off my face. So, I figured, what the hell. Ask him to move in. I'll even give you the big room. I'll take the one down from Adam."

The only thing she had to do was mention that she felt safe with him there and he was ready to agree. Even though he had no idea what this meant. She did offer him his own room so she wasn't asking him to move in and be her man or anything. Again he was torn on how he felt about that. He doubted she would ever be interested in anything like that. She wouldn't want a man touching her after what Ed and his group had done to her. And that was fine by him cause the thought of touching her had his stomach in knots. He was scared of her. Scared half to death. But he found himself nodding. "Okay, then. And you can even keep your room. I ain't got much anyhow."

"Really?" Her eyes lit up which caused his head to start reeling again.

"Sure." He shrugged. "Makes sense to me."

He didn't understand why she chose him, of all the others in their group. Their group? When the hell did he start thinking that way? He shook his head. Rick or Daryl would have been a lot more suitable for her to get attached too. They were good men. They were much more capable of giving her the friendship she needed. If a good man is what a woman wants around he's really the last person they should look at. But right from the get go she had chosen him. And he was okay with it. Daryl had his hands full anyway with Carol and that bad mouthin' little brat of his. He smiled to himself. And Rick was just getting over going bug shit crazy.

"You ready Dixon? We got first night shift."

He looked up and saw Maggie and Carol standing there. He sighed and then turned to Emily. "I guess I'll see you later then."

She flashed him a grin. "Yeah, I'll see ya around, Merle." She winked.

Carol watched Merle and Maggie go and then sighed. Emily was still smiling, watching them go herself. When she looked up at Carol the smile faltered a little. She patted the seat next to her. "Sit with me a while?"

"I'd like that." Carol said as she sat down. She hadn't gotten to spend as much time with Emily as she had liked. With Maggie always with her and Kenzey always needing tended too and Daryl always complaining that they were never alone anymore it was hard to make time for people. Emily was there for dinner most nights but they never really were able to talk just the two of them and Carol liked her a lot. Unlike the other two woman she came with.

"Where's that little pistol at?" Emily asked.

"With her... Daryl. She's on the wall with Daryl."

"So was Helen earlier." Emily said, face growing angry. Carol had never seen her look that way.

"I trust Daryl, Emily. Believe me, that man is too much work for any other woman to handle." She said with a smile.

"I know he can be trusted but that ain't the point. It's damn clear that the man ain't available. She ain't got no business even tryin'. If it was Merle she was eyeballin' like that, well, I'de be..." She sighed and frowned. "I guess I wouldn't have much to say at all about it."

Carol found herself frowning too. She wasn't used to this Emily. The woman was always so upbeat. Carol found herself desperate to wipe that frown away. "What's on your mind?" She asked her quietly.

"I just wish that ya'll could have found us sooner, ya know? Maybe then things could be different." Emily's voice sounded so sad that Carol put an arm around her small shoulders.

Emily turned her face to Carol's and gave her a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Carol was once again rendered speechless by the others woman's beauty. She'd never seen someone so flawless in her life. She almost didn't seem real and the sadness on her face was heartbreaking. "I wish we could have too." Carol said with a sad smile of her own.

"What was Merle like? I've heard people talkin' bout how he's so different now. How so?" Emily asked.

This brought a genuine grin to Carol's face. "He was an asshole. He was a bad tempered racist, sexist, egocentric asshole. He didn't give a damn about anybody but himself. He was absolutely fowl mouthed. And at first his little brother over there wasn't much better." She laughed.

"When did little brother over there change?" Emily asked, looking amused now, which made Carol happy.

She sighed. "My daughter went missing after we left the CDC. It was before we found Hershel's farm. Daryl took it upon himself to find her for me. Told me every day he'd find her. Did everything he could, including almost getting himself killed. And that was when I first saw the real Daryl. But it wasn't enough and he took it hard. Blamed himself, blamed me. Shut down, moved away from our camp. But he came back."

"And then you were together?" Emily asked quietly.

Carol shook her head. "When the farm got overrun he saved me. In more ways than one, really. And then we all found ourselves living on the road. Running, fighting, doin' everythin we could to stay alive. Ricks wife was pregnant. I was as useless as a rock. I was a burden on the group with no skills. I was pathetic. But then Daryl found himself a new cause. He was gonna teach me how to survive and then he became the most important person in my little world."

"So, you didn't find out you loved him till you were on the road?"

Carol shook her head. "I suppose I've always loved Daryl Dixon. And maybe he always loved me back but we were never together. We were partners. He taught me all sorts of things. How to help defend myself and our group. But we haven't been... this. Whatever this is, for very long at all."

"Really?" Emily asked, grinning. "You two seem like you've been this way forever."

"About a week and a half." Carol laughed as Emily's dark eyes went wide.

"Yer kiddin'!"

She shook her head. "Nope."

"Wow." Emily shook her head. "Do you think Merle could ever love somebody like me?"

Carol was dumbstruck. All she could do was stare at the woman like a mute idiot. Emily waited patiently. "Merle? Merle Dixon?"

Emily nodded. "You think he could ever want someone like me?"

"Merle worships the ground you walk on!" Carol said after another pause. "Why would you think he wouldn't?"

"Merle don't worship the ground I walk on." She scoffed. "I think he feels responsible for me. I think he wants to take care of me. That isn't the same thing as wanting to be with me. The way you and Daryl are. I've never had anything like that. I've never wanted it. Not even with Adam's daddy." She sighed and then went on, "A man don't want damaged goods, Carol. No man would want someone thats been... used, like me. It's one thing to joke about it but somethin' else to have a serious talk. I just don't think I'd be able to handle the let down, you know?"

"You're not damaged goods, Emily. You're a good woman that brings out the best in a man that no one ever knew had an ounce of good in him. Talk to him. But I'm warning you right now. He might get scared and bolt. If he's anything like Daryl used to be. But I promise, he'll come back."

Emily looked thoughtful for a moment and then she nodded, her face determined. "Alright. It's settled then."

The sky was turning dark now and the women sat in comfortable silence for a long time. Tyreese lit a fire in the pit across the street from them and waved their way with a smile. Michonne was with him and Carol couldn't help but wonder what was going on there.

Carol looked up in time to see Helen walking down the other side of the street. Before she could say anything Emily yelled. "Hey!"

Helen turned at the sound of her voice and waved. She hesitantly crossed the street. Carol eyed her. She was bigger than Carol. Your typical busty blonde. The rubbery smile plastered across her face had Carol wanting to hit her in the mouth.

"Hi, Emily. Carol." She eyed Carol for a second.

"Hello Helen." Carol said pleasantly. "You have a good chat up there on the wall earlier?"

Helen's eyes narrowed. "Yeah. I did actually. But I think you might want to have a talk with that little girl of yours. She doesn't know much about respecting other's."

"Is that right." Carol stood up from the bench and crossed her arms.

"Yes. I was trying to have a conversation with Daryl and she started being rude."

"What'd she have to say?" Carol asked feeling her blood start to boil. It was one thing for this person to have eyes for her man but another thing completely to talk about the girl. Carol felt something inside her grow that had been dormant for a long time. The maternal instinct to protect her child. It was there, though, as strong as it had ever been before.

"Oh, I cant even remember really, I tend to not pay much attention to rude children. It only encourages their bad behavior."

"Is that right? Well, maybe you'll pay attention to this. I see you tryin' to talk to Daryl again, your done. I'll mop this whole street with your face. And you talk about my little girl that way again and I promise you this, I'll top what Merle and Maggie did last week. Turn around. Walk away. Or I'm kickin' your ass right now just for the hell of it."

Helen glared at her but regardless of the size difference Carol must have been intimidating enough because she walked away. Quite quickly actually.

"Oh. My. Gawd!" Emily nearly squealed next to her. "That was the most incredible thing I've seen in..." She took a breath, "Maybe my whole life. I think I love you Carol. I really do. Is it possible to be in love with another woman and not be a lesbian?"

Carol laughed. "I don't know. Did you hear what the bitch said about, Kenzey? There ain't a thing wrong with the way she talks to people. She's just like Daryl, that isn't her fault."

"Like I said, I don't like that woman."

"Want me to walk you home?" Carol asked as she looked up. The stars were bright tonight but there had been storm clouds on the horizon.

"Sure."

They were walking arm in arm towards the apartments when they heard the sound of boots hitting the pavement behind them. They both turned to see Merle and Maggie barreling towards them.

"Herd!" Maggie yelled as they got closer.

Carol turned and gripped Emily's shoulders roughly. "Go get everyone out of their apartments and on the roof. There's an arsenal up there. Go!" She turned and sprinted towards the wall. Hershel and Beth were sitting on the steps of the clinic like they did most nights. "Roof Hershel!" She called as she ran by.

Daryl and Rick, seeing the commotion both jumped down from the wall, Kenzey jumped into Daryl's waiting arms and then he sat her down.

"What's wrong?" Rick asked as she skidded to a stop in front of them. "A herds on it's way. We need to get to the roof. Now!"

Daryl picked the girl back up and they were all three sprinting towards the building. Hershel took longer to get to the top but Carol stayed with him to Daryl's dismay. The chances of a herd getting in weren't great but they had stocked the rooftop with ammo and made the game plan for everyone to meet on the roof if one was ever spotted. The men had hauled a lot of guns to the rooftop over the last week, carrying most of the wooden crates up all four sets of stairs.

Everyone was there by the time Carol and Hershel made it to the top. Rick was barking out orders and Daryl was handing out guns. He tossed Emily an AR-15. "You know how to use that?" He asked quickly.

She gave him a wink. "Ain't your brother told you where I'm from? Of course I know how to use this."

"Daryl?" Kenzey asked as she peered into the crate he was kneeling in front of. "You know this is bull crap, right?"

He looked up and handed over another gun without seeing who he was even handing it to. "What?"

"You never taught me how to shoot. I could be a bigger help if you would just teach me." Her bottom lip trembled slightly.

He pushed the hair out of her face and looked at her fiercely. "Tomorrow. I swear it, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay."

"Are you scared?" He asked, handing over another gun.

She shook her head. "You know what you're doin'. You wont let nothin' happen to any of us."

The weight of her words hung heavily over him. He hated people depending on him and yet he couldn't help but think that he was the only one that they could depend on. It made for a daily struggle. His head snapped up at the familiar sounds that carried all the way up onto the rooftop. The moans and groans of the dead. It had been a while since they had seen any. Not even a straggler had made its way to the gates. From the sounds of it this was a large herd. A really large herd.

Everyone seemed to grow silent all at once as they listened to the sounds. There was always someone patrolling the fence, checking for breaches and signs of danger. But a herd big enough could go right through the fence, and then they would be in the same position they were in the day they had taken over.

Merle was peering down at the street below. "Daryl." He hissed as he motioned him over.

Daryl hurried to his side, Kenzey staying right at his heels.

"Thought I saw somethin' down on the street, towards the houses." Merle whispered and then put his hand at the small of Emily's back without even realizing it. She moved closer to him.

"Walker?" Daryl asked, feeling dread settle in his stomach.

Merle shook his head. "Just a shadow. Coulda just been my eyes playin' tricks."

Daryl shook his head. "I want this whole place searched again as soon as this is over. There's more of us, we can cover more ground."

Merle nodded.

From the shadow of one of the houses, several angry pairs of eyes looked up at the building as the sounds of the dead marched by.


	20. Chapter 20

**Another short one guys. I know this had been a little slow paced but the action will pick back up eventually. Thanks, as always, for all your great reviews! **

Chapter Twenty

They waited there on the roof for a long time but the fence held.

"I want this town searched again." Daryl said gruffly to Rick when the other man finally gave the all clear.

"No." Rick said as he scratched at his beard. "It's late and we're all tired. It can wait."

"No? Are you serious? Merle seen someone, Rick. This place ain't as secure as you might think." Daryl ground out. He was getting used to being the authority and Rick was picking a fine time to assume the role as leader again.

"Merle didn't see someone. He saw something. He saw a shadow in the dark, with fires in the pits. That could have been anything. After what happened to Andrea I'm not sending people out at night to hunt something that may not even be there. We all have weapons, we're all together in this building. We'll start a new search in the morning."

Daryl growled and took a step closer. "You steppin' up now, Rick? You makin' calls again?"

Rick took a deep breath. "I ain't undermining your authority Daryl. I know you've pulled my weight around here. I ain't blind. But think for a second. If someone is in this town then we can be picked off pretty easy if we split up."

"He's right." Carol stepped in as Maggie trailed after her. "If someone's here then this would be the perfect time to start pickin' us off."

"I think Daryl's right." A voice said from a few feet away.

Everyone turned and stared at Helen. This was certainly not the time to have a showdown but by the look on Carol's face that was exactly what was going to happen.

"I'm sorry, did you just say somethin'?" Carol said taking a step forward. "Because if I'm not mistaken, you sound like someone who thinks their opinion in this matter is valid."

"I just think it's a woman's place to support their man when it comes to things like this. Do you disagree?"

"Oh shit." Tyreese muttered from somewhere in the crowd.

Carol turned to Maggie. "Did she really just say that to me? Tell me she didn't."

Maggie shrugged. "I heard her plain as day."

"You're the one that stressed the fact that he was yours. Maybe you should start acting like it." Helen said bitterly.

Carol wasn't sure if it was because they were in a crowd and the other woman was sure that Carol would be stopped if she tried to do anything, or if she thought since there was so many people around she would bite her tongue. Either way, she obviously didn't know Carol at all.

"You're new here. I understand that, so I'm going to tell you this one time. Just a fair warning from one women to another. Stay the fuck out of my business. You don't have a clue what my role is as his women or a member of this group. You don't know me and you don't know my people. The sooner you accept that, the better."

Helen crossed her arms over her chest. "I see where that kid gets her attitude from." She snapped.

"Tyreese!" Rick yelled as Carol lunged for the woman. He was the closest man, other than Axel, that was close enough to grab her.

Maggie sidestepped and got in his way. He tried to go around her but she kept mirroring his movements.

Carol didn't hesitate, she knew her time was limited. Maggie could only do so much. She only got in one good hit before she felt an arm clamp around her waist. She knew exactly who it was.

"Damn it, Merle! Put me down!" She growled as she struggled in his arms but he wasn't letting her loose.

Helen was holding her nose. "You crazy bitch!" She spat. Tara was there then, at Helen's side. She was glowering at Carol, which Maggie didn't take very kindly.

"You got a problem lady?" Maggie hissed as she stormed over to where the two women stood but this time Tyreese was fast and Maggie's back was to him. He snatched her up before any damage could be done.

"Hey!" Rick roared. "Enough! We've all had a long night. We just need to calm down."

Carol and Maggie had other plans as they struggled against the men restraining them. Merle let out a grunt as Carol's boot heel made contact with his shin. He loosened his grip just enough for Carol to tear herself free of him. But there was someone else there to catch her.

"Let it go." Daryl whispered in her ear. And she let herself relax against him.

"Maggie." Daryl said to the other struggling woman. "Rick's right. That's enough." He glanced at the two furious women standing a few feet away and added, "For now." Maggie gave up her struggles too and Tyreese let her go. Glen was right there though and Maggie let him take her hand.

"What'd I tell ya, lady?" Kenzey said as she stepped in front of Carol and crossed her arms. "You can't say you wasn't warned."

"You listen here you little..."

"Hey!" Merle yelled, cutting off Helen's words instantly.

She looked up and then flinched as he put his finger in her face. "I wont hit a lady, I got rules about shit like that, but I will knock a bitch flat on her ass if I got good enough reason. You say one word about my niece and you'll find out which category you fall under, you understand me? Now you go on back to your apartment, be thankful we don't throw your ass out and you stop tryin' to cause trouble for my brother and his woman. Do you hear what I'm sayin' to you?"

Helen blanched and took a step back then another. She turned and nearly fled down the stairs. Tara turned too and followed her.

Everybody was looking at Merle now and he felt himself flush at the unwanted attention. "The fuck ya'll starin' at me for?"

Beth stepped forward, reached up and kissed him. Right on the corner of the mouth. With a smile she stepped back. "And that, Merle Dixon, is why you matter so much." She turned and disappeared through the dark doorway, her daddy on her heels.

"Jesus, you see why I ain't ever quick to do any of you people a favor? You're like a bunch of women. We gonna have a group hug now, sing love songs to one another?" He reached back for Emily's hand. "Let's go home before they all start cryin'. I ain't stickin' around to see that part." He grumbled as he led her to the door.

She looked back and flashed a bright smile, which caused almost everyone to laugh.

He stuck his head back out before anyone could comment on his actions. "Maggie, Glen can take patrol with you I got shit to do."

Maggie's eyes widened and she jerked her hand out of Glens like she had just realized he was holding it. "Merle! No." She growled.

"It's been long enough, sweetheart. Handle your business. You can't hide behind me and Carol forever." He didn't give her time to respond.

"Traitorous bastard." She grumbled

Merle led the way down the dark stairs, Emily's hand gripped his tightly. Damn Beth. It was one thing for her to be like that when no one was looking but now she'd done gone and kissed him. Kissed him! Right on the mouth! Well, the corner of the mouth anyway. Now everybody was gonna start thinking he was messing around with her too. This was the last thing he needed. He couldn't help but wonder what Emily thought of all this.

"You still want me to bring my stuff up?" He asked the top of her head. She was walking next to him so that was all he could see.

"So long as you want to and not cause you feel like you have to." She said quickly. "I just realized that I might have guilted you into it and that ain't how I want this to be."

"I want to. Maybe if I can get a little distance from Maggie then all these people will talk about is me and you. I can handle that better. Well, if they don't start in on Beth now."

"Who cares? Let'em talk all they want. If they're talkin' about you they're leavin' somebody else alone. You're doin' a public service. And besides, Maggie and Beth are beautiful girls. Least they ain't sayin' you're messin' around with Tyreese. Now that would be somethin' to get your blood boilin' about."

He had to laugh and she gave his hand a squeeze. "I guess. Kinda makes me look like some sort of stud or somethin'. Hey, where's Adam? I don't want him out there tonight."

She smiled. "He's stayin' with Carl. Again. I miss him but he's had such a hard year. They both have mornin' watch anyhow. Best if they're both stayin' in the same apartment."

Merle just nodded and dropped her hand outside of her door. "You tired?" He asked, noticing that she wasn't looking quite herself. He reached his hand up to touch her face and then caught himself, letting it drop back to his side.

"Actually, I'm not. You want some coffee or somethin'?"

"Sounds good." He said as they both just stood there. There was a new feeling in the air, Merle couldn't put his finger on. "Should I go get my stuff? Or we can wait."

"Let's wait. I don't wanna be alone right now."

"That's good. Cause I don't want you to be alone right now." Where had that come from? It's okay to think it, Merle. Just don't be saying shit out loud. You're going to scare her off with your honest bullshit.

She smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. "You gonna do your nightly sweep, hero?" She said.

He made it a point to check her apartment every night before he let her in. He looked in the closets, under beds, even in the cabinets. He couldn't help it. The thought of something else happening to her made him sick.

He reached out and grabbed her hand and pulled her into the house, shutting the door and locking it. One bad thing about only having one hand was how often he had to let go of hers to do some menial task. Go ahead and keep thinking shit like that you damn girl! He berated himself.

"So, she's your niece now, huh? Cause every time I've heard you bring her up you call her Daryl's brat." Emily smiled.

"She is a brat. You've heard her talk. Don't make the little shit any less family, though. I think if Daryl had half the chance as a boy he'd have been the same way."

"Uncle Merle." She giggled.

The corner of his mouth turned up as he rolled the phrase around on his tongue. "Uncle Merle." He laughed with her. "I kinda like the sound of that."

"A lot better than daddy, huh? I heard about the fit you threw when Rick told you that you had to take her since you found her."

He blew out a breath. "That's the truth. I ain't daddy material at all."

She looked back over her shoulder as he followed her to the kitchen. "Well, I don't think your brother was ready either but he stepped up and now he'd doin' a fine job."

"Yeah, that's true. But my brother has Carol. Daryl gets to do the easy stuff, Carol's the one that has to do everything else. I woulda been doin' it all alone. I couldn't do somethin' like that." He sat down at the table and watched her as she started bustling around the kitchen.

She turned to face him and pushed her long red hair behind her ears, which caused her to look even smaller somehow. "You got me." She said in an almost shy tone.

She instantly reminded him of Beth right then which was strange because the last thing he thought of when he thought of her was the word shy. "Now. I got you now. I didn't have anybody that day." He smirked.

"You had your girls. They woulda helped you." She smiled.

"Woman, how many times to I got to tell you, they ain't my girls?"

She snorted. "You know what I mean."

With a sigh he nodded. He did know what she meant. He'd enjoyed himself this week. Maggie was a smart kid. Tough as nails. And Beth. Good lord, that girl and her quiet voice. Making him feel like he mattered. Nobody had ever said anything like that to him before. Nobody other than Carol. Them three could really work a man over in his head.

He was zoning out and hadn't realized Emily had moved closer. She pulled out the chair across from him after handing him his cup. "What'cha smilin' for?" She asked, arching a brow at him.

He hadn't known he was smiling. He dropped it as soon as he felt it on his face. "Nothin'." He grumbled.

"So, you ever think about doin' what your brother did?" She asked, propping her chin up on her hand.

He frowned. "Like what?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Settlin' down with somebody."

Now it was his turn to snort. "Never crossed my mind." Until recently, he silently added.

She nodded, looking down into her cup. She took a drink and grimaced. She left the table, coming back with cream and sugar and loaded it it.

He made a face at her cup.

"So you ain't never loved a woman, Merle?" She asked quietly as she took a drink and then nodded approvingly.

"Emily, this is the first time I ever been around real women. The ones with brains and morals and self respect. Carol, Maggie, God help me, Michonne. I never knew women could be like them. So no. I ain't never found myself goin' all stupid over a woman."

She nodded, still avoiding his eyes. It made him nervous. Usually she was looking at him like she could see right into his head, now she wouldn't look at him at all. When she did look up at him and her dark eyes locked onto his there was a sad look to them that made his breath catch.

"What about me? Could you love somebody like me?" She whispered.

He froze, feeling his eyes widen. There was a strange nebulous feeling in his chest like he was coming down off an adrenalin rush. What was she asking him? How the hell could he answer that? He didn't know shit about love. Not this kind anyhow. He loved his brother, loved Carol and that brat. Knew he even loved Beth and Maggie. But those were people he could safely love. Love from a distance. Know that they didn't hold anything over him. Know that he wouldn't get hurt. Hurt? When did he become such a pussy? But that's exactly what Emily could do. He longed for the days when he would have looked at her and laughed in her face for suggesting such a thing. He was taking to long to say anything, but nothing would come out of his mouth. That sad look in her eyes turned even more sad but she tried to smile through it. The way she tried to smile through everything. Why couldn't he say anything? Why the hell did she ask him that? He glanced at the doorway. Maybe he could make up some excuse to leave.

"Don't run, Merle." She said quietly like she read his fucking mind. "It was a stupid question and I already guessed the answer before I even asked it. It's okay."

What did she mean by that? And where did his voice go? He wanted to tell her yeah, that he could love her. That he already did love her. He didn't know when that shit had happened but it had and he'd been dealing with it silently, the way he dealt with a lot of stuff, knowing that someone like her wouldn't never be able to love somebody like him back.

He let his breath out in a whoosh. "I can't... I meant to say that I don't really..." His voice, the voice that he just found was cut off when her hand touched his on the table.

"Don't, Merle. It really is okay. Like I said. It was a stupid question, not even worth you to get all tore up about."

She blinked a few times and that sad faraway look disappeared. She got up and took her almost full cup to the sink and dumped it out. "I think I might just go to sleep now. I'm tired all of a sudden." She said quietly.

"I..."

"Good night, Merle. Thanks. For stayin' with me. I'll see ya in the mornin'." She left the room in a rush, leaving him sitting there at the table.

There you go, Merle, you big dumb fucker. You blew it. She asked and you sat here and stuttered like a moron and now there ain't a chance in hell to let her know how your stupid ass really feels. Now shits gonna be weird. Her feelin's are hurt. Like she ain't been through enough. He assaulted himself with these thoughts over and over. By the time he finally stood up his coffee was cold. He dumped it out and made his way through the apartment, double checking the locks on the door and all the windows before he made his way to his new room. He didn't even know why he bothered lying down. He wasn't going to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes all he saw were hers.

Daryl, Maggie and Carol sat on the couch, in that order. Kenzey had fallen asleep on Daryl's lap and now there was drool on his shirt where her head was lying on his chest. Glen sat in a chair across from them.

No one had said anything for a while and it was really getting on Daryl's nerves.

"So, now all a sudden you don't think I killed anybody, huh?" Maggie said angrily.

Daryl rolled his eyes. This was the hundredth time they had been through this. He stood up and stormed out of the room, taking Kenzey to bed. He was ending this. Now. Carol had told him to just keep quiet and by God that is what he had been doing. For a fucking week! No more. He laid Kenzey down and then double checked the locks on her window. He left her door standing open so he could hear her from the living room if she needed him. Even though she never did.

"Maggie, you just have to underst..."

"That's it. We're fixin' this now." He growled as he came back in, cutting Glen off as he tried to plead with this silly stubborn girl. "Maggie, you and Carol were plannin' on killin' Andrea to begin with so stop actin' like Glen is a dick for thinkin' you would do it. Truth is, you would. Now, I know you didn't but that don't mean shit. You are capable of it. Stop actin' so goddamn offended, here. I've put up with this shit for a week. I want you to go home and fix your own problems."

"Daryl!" Carol snapped.

"No!" He pointed at her. "I kept my mouth shut like you said. For as long as I could anyhow. You know as well as I do that they can work this out if she'd stop actin' like a spoiled brat!"

Maggie's mouth made a perfect O when he said that but she shut it quickly, crossed her arms over her chest and glared.

Carol mimicked the girl. "Maggie, he's right. You need to go home. At least for the night. Daryl's gonna need the couch. His ass is gonna be sleepin' on it."

Daryl growled. "Out. Glen, go. Maggie, fix your mess."

Carol stood up. "Daryl you need..."

"God! Would you shut the fuck up for two minutes!" He hissed as he rubbed the back of his neck in agitation. "This ain't our problem. It's theirs and you coddlin' her ain't makin' life easier on anybody. I'm serious. I'm puttin' my foot down."

Carol took a few steps closer to him, her fists clenched. "The only place you're puttin' that big foot of yours is in your mouth, you redneck jerk."

She stormed off down the hall towards their room, where he was sure he wouldn't be sleeping tonight. He turned on Glen and Maggie then but they were already hurrying to the door. They left without a word.

"Sons a bitches." Daryl grumbled as he kicked the door after double checking the locks. He stormed over to the couch and jerked Maggie's folded covers and flopped gracelessly down onto the cushions. He rolled over onto his side and punched the pillow a few times to try to make it more comfortable, and just because he wanted to punch something.

"Sleepin' on the fuckin' couch. Like she's the boss of my damn room." He grumbled out loud as he rolled over once more. "Woman needs a swift kick to the ass."

"You got somethin' to say, Dixon?" Carol asked from the bathroom doorway.

He raised up and scowled at her. "No." He said as he dropped his head back down onto the pillow.

The sun was bright when he woke up the next morning. He sat up and grumbled. A week in a real bed was turning him soft. His back ached. He wasn't surprised he'd slept so late. It had taken him forever to go to sleep. He had even got up after a while to try to sneak back into his own bed but Carol had locked the door. He shoulda kicked the fucker open and demanded that she take the couch since she was the one acting like a raging bitch for no reason.

He shuffled into the kitchen and instantly zeroed in on a note propped up against the coffee maker.

Took Kenzey to see Beth. Make your own breakfast, asshole.

Carol,

"I was cookin' for my damn self long before I met you." He grumbled to the paper before wadding it up in his hand.

"You talk to yourself all the time, baby brother?"

Daryl spun around, coffee pot in hand. "Goddamn it, Merle. You ever heard of knockin'? Ever?"

"We're family. I ain't gotta knock." Merle said. "And I been here a while. Figured I would let you get your beauty rest so I been waitin' in here."

Daryl was surprised he hadn't seen him when he came in. "Where's Emily?" He asked as he started the coffee pot.

Merle sighed loudly. "I left before she got up."

Daryl leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. He took in Merle's haggard appearance. "Didn't you just move in with her? You runnin' already, brother?"

"Shut up, stupid. I've had a bad night, okay." Merle grumbled.

"Yeah, me too." Daryl said with a shake of his head.

Merle snorted. "I saw that. Couch, huh? Must have been bad. What'd you do."

"Kicked Maggie out." Daryl grumbled.

"The hell did you do that for?" Merle asked, his voice taking on a protective edge.

"I don't wanna hear it. You're the one that threw her to the wolves last night. I wanted my house back. She's been on my couch a week. She's a stubborn ass. She just needed a little push."

"Well, at least you got your house back. Hows that couch sleep?"

"Fuck off, Merle." Daryl grumbled as he poured two cups and sat down at the table.

"Mornin'. Hey, can I grab a cup of that?" Rick said as he walked into the kitchen.

"What the hell? Why didn't you knock, asshole?" Daryl couldn't even put much outrage in his voice. He hated when Carol was mad at him.

Rick just grinned and helped himself before sitting down with the other two men.

"The fuck you so smiley about?" Merle asked suspiciously.

"I just had an interesting night, that's all." He shrugged, still grinning.

"Yeah, didn't we all." Daryl said as he rolled his eyes.

"Where's Emily, Merle?" Rick asked as he finally realized the woman wasn't with him.

Merle took a deep breath and in a show of great courage he decided to get the other mens take on what had happened the night before. "I think I fucked up." He sighed.

"Hey there fella's." Tyreese said from the doorway. "Fine mornin', huh?"

"Can't any of you mother fucker's knock on a man's door?" Daryl threw his hands in the air in exasperation.

Tyreese just flashed him a grin and walked straight to the coffee pot, making himself a cup and then, to Daryl's dismay, opened up the fridge and started rummaging like he owned the place.

"Get the fuck outta my fridge you asshole! What the fuck is wrong with you people?"

"Sorry man. I thought Carol would have food made by now. I'm starved." Tyreese shut the refrigerator and joined the others at the table.

"Get your own damn woman to cook." Daryl growled.

Tyreese grinned even wider. "My woman's to worn out to cook."

Rick laughed and slapped the big man on the back. "Michonne? Finally?" He shook his head.

"Yeah, Sasha didn't make it home last night. Figured I'd take advantage of the privacy."

Daryl and Merle didn't miss the fact that at the mention of Tyreese's sister Ricks face reddened slightly. They gave each other a knowing look but kept their mouths shut.

"So," Rick said, changing the subject. "How'd you mess up with Emily already, Merle?"

Merle sighed. "She asked me if I could ever love her."

Three sets of eyes widened at him and he felt his ears burning.

"Well, what the hell did you say?" Daryl pressed.

Merle shook his head. "Nothin. I sat there like a dumb dick and then she just went to bed."

"Oh, Merle. You poor bastard. You did fuck up." Tyreese said with a shake of his head.

"Well what the fuck was I suppose to say you jackass?" Merle said angrily.

"Well, that depends," Rick said looking thoughtful. "Do you love her? Or could you?"

"Man, I don't know nothin' about shit like that." Merle grumbled. "Enough about me. Daryl here slept on the couch last night."

Daryl shot him an annoyed look. "Shut up, Merle.

"Oh, shit. What'd you do now, Dixon?" Tyreese asked with a shake of his head.

"He kicked Maggie out last night and Carol didn't want him too." Merle volunteered.

"You gotta big fuckin' mouth, you know that, Tin man?" Daryl smirked.

Rick and Tyreese laughed. Merle frowned, "Tin Man. The hell do you mean by that."

"He's the one that didn't have the heart, Merle." Tyreese said helpfully. "You know, no heart for the little redhead that wants you to love her?"

"Fuck you. All three of you." Merle growled angrily.

"That brings us back to you, Rick." Daryl said as he leaned back in his chair, still chuckling over Merle's discomfort.

"It was just interestin'. That's all."

"And who were you being interesting with, Rick?" Tyreese chuckled.

Rick looked at him but didn't say anything.

Merle decided then to be helpful. "Who did you say didn't make it home last night, Tyreese?"

Tyreese's eyes went wide. Rick looked down at his cup. "It wasn't like that."

"How was it then?" Tyreese asked, an unmistakable edge to his voice.

"We just talked." Rick said, eying him.

Daryl stood up and stretched, "Man, we look like a bunch of bitches. Look at us, sittin' here around the kitchen table talkin' about love and shit. Lets get the fuck outta here and go kill somethin'." He grabbed his crossbow and headed towards the door. The other three followed after him. When they emerged onto the street they looked like they could take on anything. A fierce and intimidating bunch. No one would have guessed that they had just been sipping on coffee and talking about their new found love lives.


	21. Chapter 21

**Still not a long one but I've been busy. Still trying to post one every day for the people that are enjoying the story. For the person that isn't, that's okay too. But you really don't have to bug me every day. I got the message. It's okay if you think it sucks. Thanks for reading the first 20 chapters before complaining though ;) To everyone else that understands that it is fanFICTION, thanks for reading =)**

Chapter Twenty One

Carol watched the men approaching. She was sitting with Beth and Kenzey on the clinic steps. Daryl made a show of ignoring her as he picked up the little girl and walked off a few feet. Whatever he was saying to her she was taking very seriously. Her eyes were large and she nodded solemnly at whatever he was telling her. He kissed her forehead and then sat her down. She ran back over to Carol grinning.

Merle was looking at her with a strange look on his face. It was odd seeing him without Maggie or Emily. She wondered idly what had happened there.

"We're searchin' the town again. You think me and you can partner up? It's been a while since it's been just you and me." Merle said, holding out his hand for her.

"Beth?" Carol began but Beth was nodding before Carol could even ask her.

"I'll keep an eye on her for you."

Carol let Merle pull her up and they headed down the street. Apparently he already knew what the game plan was and she was just along for backup. She adjusted the rifle strap and then gave him a wary smile. He didn't look too good this morning. He looked tired. "You okay, Merle?" She asked finally.

"Right as rain, little Dixon." He threw a heavy arm over her shoulder and gave her a sideways smile. "I've missed ya. Seems like not that long ago you was about the only person that'd give me the time of day."

"That's because it wasn't that long ago."

They went into the first house, never splitting up even though she argued that it would get done a lot faster if they both searched separately.

"You ever catch yourself missin' the prison?" Merle asked as they climbed the stairs to the second story.

She glanced at him with a frown. "I do sometimes. As strange as it seems. I know I shouldn't."

Another round of silence followed as they made their way to the next house. It was making her uncomfortable. Merle normally wasn't the type to enjoy lapse in conversation and she was finding herself growing increasingly worried about him.

"I saw Maggie and Glen today. I guess your brother was right in making her leave." Carol tried to make small talk.

"That's good. That's real good. That went on long enough." He pulled open a closet and double checked.

Another house equaled more silence and she found herself growing more antsy. "Merle, you want to talk to me about anything? At all? I mean, I'd even take another one of your less appealin' stories over this silence any day."

He shook his head. "Nope."

She let it go for a while but she was having a hard time. She bit her tongue for as long as she could. "Did somethin' happen with Emily last night?" She finally asked.

He looked over at her, annoyance clearly showing on his face. "I remember you bein' a lot more fun than this. I shoulda took one of the men."

"But you miss me, so here I am. And you're boring me to death."

He sighed. "I'm thinkin' about leavin'. Maybe for just a while."

She stopped right there on the sidewalk and grabbed his arm before he could keep going. "What?" Her voice came out in a panicked squeak. "No. You can't leave! Did you see the size of that herd last night? There's more and more Walkers out there every day. You're safe here. Daryl and I, we can't leave. That isn't even an option anymore, not with Kenzey."

He just looked at her for a long time and then shook his head. "I wasn't askin' for either one of you to go with me. I can't fuckin' think in this place. I can't be me in this place."

Carol knew he was serious. Knew in her gut that he really was thinking about leaving. What she didn't know was why. He'd done so good since they had gotten here. Made real connections with people. She had watched from a distance as he let go of some of that rage that had always been right there under the surface before. Rage that she was starting to see resurface as he stood over her.

"But you were here before us. This place was your home." She said, her voice meek even to her own ears.

"And I was able to be, Merle." He said angrily. "I could kill and loot and have a fine old time. You people and your morals and your good deeds and shit. That ain't me, woman. I ain't my brother." He was nearly shouting in her face but she let him. "You want me to be somethin' that I ain't. You started this." He jabbed a finger in her face, causing her to flinch a little.

"What about Beth and Maggie?" She was grasping at straws, she knew. She also knew that he was, for some reason, a walking time bomb at the moment but she couldn't keep her mouth shut. She wasn't used to keeping her mouth shut anymore.

"They ain't my problem." He growled, still in her face.

"What about Emily?" She was treading dangerous ground, she knew it.

"What about me?" He asked, voice softer now but that anger still clear in his face. "You ever take a second just to think about yourself, Carol? Think about what you want? And not what all these mother fuckers around you want? Even Daryl. You ever put yourself before that boy one time? You ain't, have you?"

They had started walking again. He threw open the front door to another house and stormed inside.

"I don't put them before me, Merle. I don't know what you're talkin' about." She said quietly behind him.

He spun around, reached behind her head and slammed the door shut. So much for stealth.

"Bullshit." He said between clenched teeth. "All your life, you've been bullied. You've let Ed make all your choices for you and when he was gone, you still let someone else call the shots and you were happy too, because you didn't have to do anything and you were still free from getting' your ass kicked. My brother did a good job with you, I'll give him that. But you'll always let him call the shots. When it comes to the big stuff you're still the same as you were."

"Go to hell, Merle." She spat as she turned around to leave, but he grabbed her arm roughly and spun her back around.

He backed her into the door. "You ever wonder what it's like to only have yourself to worry about? To be able to do what you wanna do and not what everyone else expects you to do?" He asked, his eyes frantic.

She shook her head and then his face changed, causing a different kind of panic to well up in her chest.

"Come with me." He said, eyes wide and urgent now instead of angry. "Just me and you. You wont have nobody to answer to. We can leave right now, they wouldn't even know for hours. And for the first time in your life you can be you. Just you. Not what they want you to be. I'd let you, you know. I wouldn't ask for anything from you. You don't know how good it feels to just live for yourself. Just try it."

"Merle, what the fu..." But her voice was cut off when he covered her mouth with his.

She froze. Her hands at her sides. She didn't try to fight him. She didn't kiss him back. She simply, for a few seconds, was shocked into complete stillness. Her mind unable to really register what was happening. Her eyes were open wide and then suddenly his were too. Like he was just realizing what he was doing. His lips stopped moving on hers and then he slowly pulled his head back, never taking his eyes off hers. She still didn't move.

"I didn't mean that. I mean, I didn't mean to do that. I'd never do that." He was having a hard time getting his words out. "You know I didn't mean to do that, right?"

She wanted to feel angry. She wanted to lash out at him. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. He looked like a rabbit in a trap. "Merle?" Her voice came out in a whisper. "Are you, okay?" Why would she even ask him that after what he had just done?

"I'm gonna go. I need to go. Now." He almost shoved her out of the way and then he was gone. Out the door and maybe out of Woodbury.

She wanted to go after him but she didn't. This was their last house to check so she decided to just let him go. He obviously had stuff he needed to work out. This was their last house to check anyway so she decided to just finish up and leave him be.

Merle decided not to take the street. He veered off towards the back of the house and walked along the fence line. He knew someone would be patrolling but he'd rather risk running into them than his brother. He couldn't believe he had done that. He kissed her. Kissed Carol! His brother's woman. He hadn't planned on doing it. All he really knew was that he was desperate to stop the raging in his head. Telling himself to leave and begging himself to stay. And she was just there, supporting him like she always did and then he had to go off on her. Treating her like shit. And then he just wanted to forget what he was thinking. So he just did it.

Now he really had to leave. Needed to get the fuck away. He didn't want to look at his brother. Didn't want to see Carol again and couldn't bring himself to even think about talking to Emily. All he wanted was to run.

He thought about the way things were before he met these people. Back when it was just him versus the world and he longed to go back to that. But even if he left now, he wasn't the same as he was then. He'd always wonder about them. If they were okay. If they needed him. If they were safe.

He climbed the back porch steps of a house they had already checked and sat down heavily. No, he decided silently. There wasn't any way to go back to the way things were. And he had to learn how to deal with that. He had to make sure Carol knew how sorry he was for what he had done. Maybe even tell Daryl about it so it wouldn't be something just eating at him. Daryl would knock the shit out of him and then it would be done. Maybe he would even go talk to Emily. His hand was shaking in his lap and he curled it up in a fist. But he wasn't going to do any of that right now. He was just going to sit right here and think. Work it all out in his head first and then, when he wasn't feeling like such a mental case, he would fix everything.

Daryl and Rick were quick when it came to work like this. They went through each house silently, never needing to say anything, just knowing what needed to be done. They had been that way for a long time. They were walking back towards the wall, neither of them had found anything unusual in any of the houses.

"Guess you were right. Merle was just seein' shit." Daryl said.

"Still, we have to keep on top of this. If someone thinks they saw something then it needs to be checked out."

Daryl nodded. "Well, if we're done I'm takin' the kid to the lot. Teach her to shoot."

Rick gave him a look and he knew he was going to have to spend the next five minutes explaining to the man why he needed to teach the girl. But to his surprise Rick just nodded. "That's a good idea. We all need to know how to protect ourselves."

Daryl just stared at him.

"What?" Rick smiled. "You think I'm gonna give you the list of reasons why a four year old shouldn't know how to handle firearms?" He shook his head. "Time's have changed. I ain't tellin' you that I think she needs her own gun right now. But she needs to know how to handle one. You ain't gonna just give her a gun are you?" Rick asked, like he just remembered exactly who he was talking to and that Daryl was very well capable of giving the girl her own weapon.

Daryl shook his head. "Nah, not yet."

Rick looked relieved. "You need to make sure you explain everything to her. Make sure she knows that she's handling something that could kill. That's meant to kill."

Daryl scoffed. "No shit. I'm glad you said somethin', Rick. I was just gonna hand her a piece and tell her to figure it out." He shook his head.

Rick just grinned. "That's what I figured."

Daryl found a gun he thought would be small enough for her. It was smallest one they had. Just a little sig, but it would do. He found them still in front of the clinic but Beth had brought out a blanket to sit in the grass under a small tree for shade. Judith was lying there waving her chubby fists in the air and Beth and Kenzey were working silently on another of those bracelets that she was so good at making.

"You ready?" He asked.

He head shot up, her eyes wide and expectant. The grin she flashed him was huge. "Yep." She ran over to him and grabbed him by the hand.

"Thanks, Beth." He called over his shoulder as the little girl tried to pull him away.

"Do I get to learn to shoot a big gun?" She asked as they made their way around the storage building where the guns were kept.

"Nope. You're still too little." He said as he sat her down on a rickety picnic table. He sat up some cans about twenty feet away.

She sighed. "I'm just about to little for anything." Her voice was angry.

"You'll grow." He said as he pulled the gun from his waistband and sat down next to her looking down at the weapon. For the first time he was feeling a little apprehensive about what he was about to do. She was right. She was little. Just a little kid that he was about to hand a gun over too. He thought about all the reasons that that was not a good idea. And then he thought about what may have happened if Sophia had been trained with a weapon the day that those Walkers took off after her. She'd be alive. But she had been twelve. Kenzey was four. As far as they all knew anyway.

"You don't have to worry, Daryl. I'm still little but I'm not stupid. I wont shoot myself in the foot or anything." She said as though she read his thoughts.

"I ain't worried." he scoffed.

She reached up and touched the spot between his eyebrows. "Yeah you are."

He held the gun in the palm of his hand. "Do you know what this can do. I mean, really really know?" He asked.

She nodded. "It can hurt people, or if I'm not careful I could hurt myself."

"Yeah, that's one thing. But do you know the reason we all pack guns around here?" He asked, quietly as he stretched his legs out under the picnic table.

"You all need the guns to kill the Walkers and to kill any bad guys that try to hurt our people." She said wisely.

He nodded. "That's right. But do you understand what it really means to kill? Do you know what death is?"

She took a deep breath. "Death means you're gone. All the way gone, not like if you just leave and go somewhere. When you die, you never come back from it. Like my old parents are dead."

He nodded slowly. "So you know that if you shoot someone, you kill'em. That means they're dead and you can't take it back when it's over. It's just done. No fixin' it."

"I know." She whispered, eyes wide. "I wouldn't never point a gun at a person unless I had to. In case I had to protect us."

Once again she had shocked him into silence. He shook his head. "If I'm doin' my job then you ain't ever gotta worry about protectin' us."

She frowned at him and then touched his face again. "You can't do it all by yourself all the time. You shouldn't have to feel like you gotta do everything all by yourself. Carol, she's able to do a whole lot and if you teach me this, I can help too. And then you wont have to worry."

"You're pretty fuckin' smart, you know that?" He asked with a grin.

"That's what they say." She shrugged.

"Well, are we gonna do this or what?" He asked as he held out his hand for her to take the gun.

She shook her head causing her dark hair to fall over her shoulders.

"No?" He frowned. "I thought you was hell bent on shootin'?"

"No, I'm hell bent on learnin' how." She glanced at the gun and then to him. "I wanna know how it works."

"How it works?"

"Take it apart." She demanded. "I've seen you clean the rifles. You take'em apart. You know all about what piece does what. Same with your bow. If you wanna be good then you gotta know everything about it, right?"

He just stared at her. "How the fuck did you get so smart?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea. My parents were idiots. Show me how to take the gun apart."

He shook his head and went to work. He disassembled the gun slowly as she watched. She asked him about every piece his fingers touched. She watched him with such focus that it shocked him. When the gun was in pieces on the table she studied each piece carefully and then nodded.

"Put it back together." She said after a few minutes.

He did as she said, taking his time and explaining everything again. She made him do this four more times. Never taking her eyes off the weapon.

The last time he put it back together she held out her hand. He didn't feel apprehensive anymore. She looked at it for a few seconds and then went to work taking it apart herself, her small hands working swiftly as she recited everything he had showed her. She put it back together just as quickly. He was staring at her with his mouth opened. When she finally looked up she grinned.

"I think I got it now, Daryl. You can close your mouth now. You said yourself I was smart." She tapped the side of her own head, "It's all about rememberin'."

He just nodded.

"Now shoot it." She said suddenly.

"Huh?"

"I want to watch you shoot. Show me how to stand, how to hold it. I have to know this stuff." She said urgently.

Merle finally got up from the step and walked back around the side of the house. He didn't know how long he had sat there, just thinking. Sometimes it was like that. Time didn't seem to mean much now days and then other times it seemed like all a person could think about was how much time was passing. He wasn't going to lie to himself anymore. He wasn't going to leave. There wasn't anywhere else he really wanted to be. He was going to stop being such a girl about all this, man up just like his brother had done, and deal with the mess he had made. He felt better once he had decided to do this. Not because he was honorable and it was the right thing to do but because it had always been making decisions that was the hard part. After that he usually didn't have a problem following through with them.

First he was gonna go make things right with Emily. That was what started his whole down word spiral to begin with. He was nervous about it, still not knowing what he would say but he would come up with something. And then he was gonna find his brother. He was gonna explain what happened in the house and take whatever the boy decided to throw at him, which he was sure would be a right hook. But he earned it. He still couldn't believe he'd done that. But after he was done getting his head rung by his brother he'd find Carol and make things right with her. And then when all that was over he would deal with whatever came next.

He wasn't sure where Emily could be but he figured the smartest thing would be to check the apartment. When he climbed the stairs to the second floor he started sweating. He took a deep breath to try to calm himself. He hesitated outside the door, not sure whether to knock or just walk in. Finally he just walked in, figuring she had been the one to suggest him moving in so she really wouldn't care.

She was sitting cross legged on the floor in front of the couch, hair pushed behind her ears, book in her lap. She looked up when he walked in. She gave him a strained smile and looked back down to the book. "Hi, Merle."

"Hi."

She glanced up again. "You left before I was even up. What'dya do that for?" She dropped the smile.

"I was just thinkin'. Figured I'd leave out early and go see my brother."

She nodded. "Ya'll find anything today?"

He shook his head and finally walked over and sat down on the couch. He looked down at the top of her head. "Nope. Everything was clear far as me and Carol could see."

She nodded. "You team up with Carol today instead of Maggie?"

"I think Maggie's pissed about last night. I made her work with Glen and then Daryl kicked her out. Didn't really wanna listen to her mouth."

"Sounds like she had a really bad night."

Emily kept her head down. Maybe she was actually trying to read and he was interrupting her. Maybe he should come back later and talk to her when she wasn't busy. Then he decided against it. He was here to fix his fuck ups. He wasn't gonna run like a little bitch. This woman wasn't even five feet tall. She wasn't scary.

"The answers yes." He said suddenly, forcing the words out of his mouth.

She turned her head, craning her neck so she could look at him. "What?"

"What you asked. What you asked last night before I acted like an idiot. Yes. That's the answer to what you asked." He took a deep breath, feeling relieved and stupid at the same time.

She smiled at him and then turned back down to the book. "That's good to know, Merle." She said as she turned a page.

What? That's good to know? All that he'd just been through and her only response was, that's good to know? Had she just asked him that out of curiosity and not because she really wanted to know?

"What took you so long to answer the question anyway?" She finally asked.

He blew out a breath. "I don't know. It's just how I am I suppose."

"Are you just tellin' me that so I wont feel so stupid for askin'?" She asked, her voice laced with suspicion.

"No. I'm tellin' you that cause it's the truth."

She sat the book down and moved until she was on her knees in front of him. "So you do or you could? Which is it?"

He felt his face flush. This wasn't going how he had panned. She was suppose to take what he said and be satisfied with it and cut him some slack for making it a point to answer her question. Instead she just had more questions that he didn't know how to answer. He was gonna do the same thing he did last night and then he would be back to square one.

"Well?" She arched one eyebrow, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. She thought this was funny. Watching him squirm.

"I do." The words had his own eyes widening. He hadn't meant to say that. Had he?

She nodded, that small smile still playing on her lips but not becoming a full fledged Emily grin yet. He waited nervously.

"Good." She said after making him squirm for a while.

"Good? That's it?" He frowned.

"Yep."

"Well, that wasn't so hard." He said out loud and then groaned inwordly. He only meant to think that, not say it.

"What did you think I would do, Merle? Demand you propose? Make you write a song about it?" She laughed.

"No." He grumbled, feeling much less stressed than he had earlier. He stood up, offering her his hand. She stood up with him. "I gotta go talk to Daryl now."

"Okay." She said happily. "I'll see you later then."

Now he felt awkward again. What the hell was he suppose to do now? He couldn't kiss her. Not after kissing Carol, that would be rude. He laughed out loud to himself and she looked at him like he was crazy. He probably was.

He decided to just leave. It seemed like the only safe thing to do at the moment. She waved in the doorway and he waved back.

He took the stairs two at a time, wondering where Daryl could be.

"Beth!" He called just as the girl was about to go into the clinic, a blanket draped over one arm and the baby in the other.

She turned and grinned at him. "Hey, Merle."

"You seen Daryl?" he asked.

She nodded. "Behind the storage buildin' teachin' Kenzey how to shoot."

Son of a bitch. He had a gun. At least with the crossbow he'd have to load the bolt before he shot him. "Thanks." He mumbled as he took off around the side of the building.

When he spotted them they were walking down the fence line towards the back entrance to the apartment building. It didn't look like he had a gun in his hand so that was promising. "Daryl!" He called and his brother turned around.

They waited for him to catch up. "Hey, ya'll find anything?" Daryl asked as Merle fell into step beside them. He made sure he walked on Kenzey's other side in case he needed to use her as a human shield. Then he had a better idea. He scooped her up like Daryl usually did and stopped. The girl looked at him like he was nuts, Daryl did too.

"What the hell are you doin', Merle?" Daryl asked after a few seconds.

"Me and Carol got into it in the last house we was searchin'." Merle said hurriedly.

Daryl snorted. "You and Carol always get into it when your together. That ain't news."

"I kissed her. Right on the mouth." Merle said and then held onto the girl even tighter.

"What?" Daryl said, his voice sounding as though he didn't believe what Merle had said.

"I was tryin' to get her to leave Woodbury with me, I was yellin' at her and then I kissed her. Right on the..."

"The mouth. Yeah, you dumb fuck, I heard that part. Put my kid down." Daryl growled.

"If I do are you gonna shoot me?" Merle asked.

"Put. Her. Down." He ground out, his teeth clenched.

"Swear you ain't gonna shoot me and I will."

"I swear, I wont shoot you. Put her down."

Merle sighed and then sat Kenzey on the ground. She backed up about ten feet before she stopped. Merle watched her go so he didn't see it coming. Daryl's fist hit him hard in the side of the face and then he felt the ground under his back. Him and Daryl had done their share of fighting, especially with each other, but Merle had always had the upper hand. Not so much this time. Daryl was pissed. More than pissed if Merle had to guess. He struggled to buck Daryl off of him but he seemed to be a lot stronger than he used to be.

"Get off me, goddamn it." Merle grunted as Daryl's fist made contact again. To his surprise Daryl did get off him. But only to kick him hard in the ribs.

"What the fuck is wrong with you Merle?" He yelled as he backed away. "You're too big a pussy to deal with your own woman that you gotta go and kiss mine." He came at him again but Merle grabbed his foot and jerked it hard. Daryl landed on his ass.

"Yeah, pretty much." Merle muttered as he wiped blood from his eye. Daryl must have got him good in the brow.

Daryl got back to his feet and glared down at him. "Where the fuck is she?" he spat.

"I don't know. I ain't seen her since. I kissed her and then I took off. I didn't really mean to even do it." He got to his feet and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. It came away bloody. Yeah, he was definitely stronger than last time him and Merle had fought.

Daryl grabbed Kenzey's hand and started around the building.

"Where you goin'?" Merle called. Jogging to catch up with them.

"None of your business." Daryl spat as he turned the corner and climbed the clinic steps.

Beth smiled when they came in and then it melted away when she got a look at Merle. "Oh my God, you need me to go get daddy?" She said as she came around the counter.

Merle shook his head.

"Beth, can you watch her for a while. I gotta go find Carol." Daryl said angrily, shooting daggers at Merle the whole time he talked.

"Sure." Beth said sounding very unsure at the moment.

Daryl stormed back out of the clinic and headed down the street. "Where the fuck was she when you saw her last?"

Merle shrugged. "Last house by the fence. It was the last house we had."

Daryl glared at him.

"Look, little brother, I'm sorry. It wont happen again."

"It shouldn't have happened at all you stupid asshole."

"Your right." Merle muttered. "If it makes you feel any better I don't even think she liked it."

Daryl stopped in the middle of the street. "You don't think? You mean she just fuckin' let you do it?"

Uh oh. "No, that ain't what happened. It was all fast, like she didn't even know what I was doin'."

Daryl growled and then headed back down the street. "She ain't still there, dumb ass. This happened hours ago." Merle called and then had to catch up with him again.

Daryl just shook his head and kept walking. He didn't have anywhere else to start looking.

"You're a real piece of work, you know that, Merle?" Daryl grumbled as he climbed the steps.

"I said I was..."

"If you tell me you're sorry one more time I will shoot you." he said as he opened the door and stepped in.

Merle shook his head and followed him in, running straight into Daryl's back.

"What the fuck. Keep walkin' dumb ass." Merle grumbled.

Daryl still didn't move. Merle looked over Daryl's shoulder to see what the hell he was so intent on staring at and then he froze.

He was too stunned at first to do anything. All he could do was stare at the pool of blood that sat drying a few feet in front of them.


	22. Chapter 22

**This is probably the shortest chapter yet, but I felt bad about the cliffhanger and knew I wouldn't have much time for writing this weekend. So here you go. Thanks for reading and reviewing, as always =)**

Chapter Twenty Two

Daryl couldn't think. Couldn't move. Merle ran into him and said something but he didn't understand what Merle said. There was blood on the floor. A perfectly round pool of it, glistening faintly in the dim light coming in from the windows. There were a few more drops leading away from the puddle and around the corner. His eyes followed those drops until they disappeared through a doorway.

Merle pushed past him then knelt down and studied the blood, touched it and then rubbed his fingertips together. "Cold." He cursed and then stood up. He followed the drops through the doorway, Daryl watched him go, still not able to grasp what was going on. He knew something was happening. Knew he should be moving. He watched Merle come back into the room.

He saw Merle's lips moving but he couldn't hear the words that were coming out of his mouth from the sound of blood rushing behind his ears. Merle grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him a. This helped him snap out of it a little.

"Where the fuck is she?" He asked Merle, finally finding his voice. "Somebody must have got hurt or somethin'. We need to find her, find out who it is." He sounded like he was choking.

"I'd say she's the one bleedin' little brother. There's a door on the side of the house, close to the fence. Blood led there. Easy trail to follow after that. You with me here, Daryl?"

Daryl flinched away from him. "I gotta get Rick. We gotta find her." He said in a rush as he bolted out the door. Merle was right on his heels.

He kept telling himself that it wasn't her blood. She might have injured someone else. He couldn't think past that. Couldn't consider that it was her blood on the floor. His mind instantly shied away from that pain. He saw Tyreese approaching him, running towards him and Merle.

"What's happened?" He asked as they all stopped.

"Can't find Carol." Daryl panted.

"The last house. She checked it by herself. When we got there we found blood on the floor and a trail to the fence. Someone's been here and they've got her." Merle elaborated.

"What's goin' on?" Maggie asked as she led Glen over by the hand.

Merle explained to her what was going on. She blanched. "Wait right here." She took off towards the storage building.

"Me and Tyreese and Maggie. The three of us can go. I can track her." Daryl said mostly to himself. Tyreese nodded.

"What? I'm goin'. I ain't gonna sit here with my thumb up my ass while you go hunt for her with two people that don't know shit about trackin'." Merle argued.

Daryl looked up at him then, eyes cold as ice. "Ain't you done enough? If you'd have stayed with her then she'd have been okay. I'm gonna bring her back. You can bet that, and when I do you stay the fuck away from both of us. This is the last mess of yours that I clean up."

Merle just looked at him, several emotions playing across his face. Daryl wanted to spit. It was like the dumb ass hadn't realized that this whole thing was his fault. Like it could have happened whether he was there or not. But that was Merle. Never blamed himself for anything. When it came to Carol he had trusted Merle more than anyone. He knew Merle would keep her safe. He even knew Merle wouldn't try anything with her. Or he had thought that anyway. But he should have known better. The only thing Merle had ever done, from the time Daryl could remember until now, was let him down. Again and again.

"Daryl, I didn't think that..." Merle began but Daryl didn't let him finish.

"That's right, Merle. You didn't think. Didn't think about anybody but your goddamn self just like you've always done."

Merle wiped the back of his hand across his mouth again. He nodded once, apparently knowing this time that there wasn't anything he could say to fix things, and walked away.

Maggie came out then, running towards Tyreese and him with a bag slung over her shoulder and a mean looking rifle strapped to her back. "Let's go." She breezed past them and they took off after her, followed by Glen.

"I told Rick the basics." Glen said as he easily caught up with them.

Daryl just grunted and kept running.

Merle had already told him where the drops of blood went so he refused to go back into the house. He didn't want to see it. Not if there was the slightest possibility that it could be hers. He needed his head sharp and looking at that blood wasn't going to do that. So he studied the grass around the fence and it only took him a second to realize what everyone had missed. The very bottom of the chain link gave way when he pressed his foot to it. So whoever this was they were squeezing in and out that way. And unless there was any pressure there no one would have even noticed it. He noticed more blood at the bottom, where the jagged edges of the cut chain had apparently grazed across someones skin, leaving cuts deep enough to leave blood there on the metal.

"What do you see?" Maggie whispered.

Daryl squinted, eying the grass on the other side of the fence. It seemed like three sets of prints, and something else. Like they had been dragging something. He didn't let that sink in. Just kept it there on the edge of his thoughts. Focus. The trail led, of course, right to the road.

He grabbed the bottom of the fence and held it up. "Go." He ordered and the other three obeyed. Tyreese held up the fence so Daryl could slip under when they were all on the other side.

"Leads to the road. Three people. They're draggin' somethin' behind." He wouldn't say someone but the way the blood was draining from Maggie's face she was making her own assumptions.

They followed him to the road, keeping their distance since none of them could see what he saw and no one wanted to mess up the trail even if they did already know where it ended. They followed him to the road and all three watched him as he surveyed the grass on the other side. He walked about ten yards away, following something, and then stopped. What he was following was more blood. His stomach was in knots. Focus. He thought to himself once more. He just had to stay focused.

"Can you find the trail again?" Glen asked.

He nodded and pointed. "It's hard. That heard last night trampled a lot of the grass but I can follow it." He said as he headedtowards the woods. Glen, Maggie and Tyreese stayed behind him as they hit the trees.

They walked into the trees carefully, making as little noise as possible.

Merle looked as though he were trying to pace the tile right off the kitchen floor. He wanted to go after them, tell Daryl to shut his mouth until Carol was back but he didn't. He had told Emily almost everything and now she sat cross legged in a kitchen chair and watched him as he paced.

"Merle?" She said quietly.

He stopped and turned his head towards her. She had a wary look to her eyes.

"Maybe you should sit a while. If Daryl is as good as everybody says he is then she'll be back in no time at all. They all will." She said in a soothing voice that uncoiled some of his tension.

"You know the chances of them all comin' back are pretty slim, right?" He said as he sat down next to her.

"No it ain't. You people are strong. Strongest bunch I ever come across. They'll be okay."

"Why did he have to take Maggie? They coulda done fine just him and Tyreese." Merle worried, feeling sick to his stomach.

She put her hand on his arm and smiled slightly. "Maggie's a big girl. She's tough."

He actually covered her hand with his, without thinking. The contact felt good.

"I think this is the worst thing I've done. Nah, I'm sure it is. If one of'em don't come back that shits on me. Not Rick. Not Daryl. Just me."

"They'll be back." She said sounding sure.

He let out a long breath. "It had to be somebody from here. Survivors that took off when that first herd broke through."

"People you prolly know?" She asked.

He nodded. "Most likely."

"You know, you can't let things from your past eat at who you are now, Merle. You're better than that." She admonished gently.

He gave a harsh laugh. "It ain't about who I was. Carol could be dead because of me."

"Carol is gonna be jus' fine." She smiled and Merle had to look away.

Maggie was trying hard to see whatever it was that Daryl was seeing but all she saw was grass and undergrowth. Daryl watched her study the ground.

"When we get Carol back maybe I'll take you with me when I teach the kid to track." He whispered.

She nodded and put her hands on her hips, concentrating hard. They had pretty much circled the town, staying perpendicular to the tree line. They broke through the trees and Daryl could see that the trail once more ended at the road. This time he wasn't able to pick it back up on the other side.

"They either stayed on the road or they had a car waitin'." He said in a low voice. "I'm bettin' on a car though."

"So that's it?" Maggie asked in a broken voice. "No trail. How are we gonna get her back?"

Daryl put his hands on his hips and frowned. He knew what he had to do, and for Carol he would do it. Even if he really didn't want to. "I gotta go back and talk to Merle. He'll find her." He turned and the four of them took the road back to Woodbury.

Carol woke up slowly, not opening her eyes. Her head was pounding with every beat her heart took. She couldn't remember ever having such a bad headache in her life. She took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar smell of concrete and dust. Somewhere down the corridor she heard the sound of one of the cell doors closing.

She frowned as her memories began flooding back. Her eyes snapped open when she realized that she was in the prison. She was staring at the underside of the top bunk. When she tried to sit up her wrists pulled tight against something and she let her head fall back to the pillow, craning her neck she saw that she was cuffed to the bunk. The last thing she remembered was being on one of the houses in Woodbury with Merle. He had kissed her and then he had bolted. That was it. She had no idea how she had gotten here. Her heart started to pound as panic set in, causing her head to hurt even more.

Merle had been right. There had been someone there and just her luck they were there in the house where he had left her.

"Sleeping beauty awakes, huh? Hows your head?" A mans voice came from the doorway.

She raised her head up to see better but her vision was slightly blurry. All she could do was make out the shape of a man. "How did I get here?" She asked and noted how weak she sounded.

"A couple of friends of mine brought you in. Scouts that I sent to Woodbury. My town." The man said, an edge to his voice on those last two words.

"Your town?" Carol asked, hating herself for feeling so confused. The only conclusion she could come too was that she had been hit from behind.

The man came further into the room and she was able to see him a little better. "That's right. My town. Somehow Andrea was able to let in a bunch of those Biters so you people could get your hands on it. But not all of us died that night. Quite a few of us got away. Found this place." He made a swooping gesture with his arms. "Now, the question is, why?"

It took her a while to understand what he was saying. "Andrea? You think Andrea did that?"

"Well," he began as he pulled over a chair and sat down. There was something strangely familiar about this man. "How else could it have happened? She was plotting against us the whole time as far as I can see. Waiting for her chance to get her hands on that town so you people could move in. She had us fooled the whole time. Even had the Governor fooled."

"She didn't let those things in." Carol said but she stopped. It wouldn't do her any good to argue with this man and the less he knew about her own role in Woodbury the better. "It was you people. You killed her."

He smiled. "What would you have done? She's the reason we lost everything. It was a miracle we even found this place. Someone had already cleared it out."

"What do you want with me?" She finally asked when the silence became too uncomfortable.

He leaned down so their faces were only a few inches apart. "You are our bargaining chip."

She frowned and tried to pull her face back from his. "What?"

"We're not done. There's a few more people we've decided to take. And if you're lucky, you'll all be more important to your group than that town is. We wont kill you or your friends if they just give us back our town."

"How many survived?" She couldn't help but ask. She knew she probably should just keep her mouth shut.

"Twelve. My wife and I. Others. Don't concern yourself with that. Hopefully this all goes by smoothly."

"Why didn't you just let us know? You could have came back to the town without all this. Those people, my people, they aren't bad. They would have never turned your people away." Carol said, eyes wide. "You still could! They don't have to know about this. I'll tell them I came with you willingly, that someone was hurt or something..."

"Stop." He said in a low voice. He reached out and touched her face. She knew she was in a vulnerable position. She shrank away from him, causing him to smile. "You think that my people are willing to share? That town is ours. We don't have to share whats ours with your people."

She was quiet for a while but he still didn't leave. She decided to ask him one more question. "What makes you think that they would give up the town for me?" She asked.

He leaned back in his chair. "We've been watching you all week. We know who you are."

She frowned. "Who I am?"

"You're the leaders woman. We know he'll negotiate. And by tonight we'll have more of you."

Suddenly a woman appeared in the doorway, coming in to stand behind the man. Carol watched her with a growing sense of dread. When the woman looked at her full on she had to struggle to keep her face neutral.

"So this is her, huh?" The woman said with an unmistakable bitter edge to her voice.

"Yeah, this is her." The man said, covering the woman's hand with his own.

The woman smiled humorlessly. "I believe you have something that belongs to me." She said in a cold voice.

Carol didn't say anything. She was keeping her mouth closed from now on. But she was having a hard time not looking into the woman's green eyes. The same shade of green that Carol had become quite familiar with over the past week.

Merle couldn't stand it anymore. He had to do something. Emily was trying to make him feel better but it wasn't helping. He hadn't told her about kissing Carol. He wasn't sure if it was even a big deal. It wasn't like they were a couple or anything. He stood up to leave, to go outside and find something, anything to do.

"You leavin'?" Emily asked as he headed for the door.

He nodded. "I gotta go find somethin' to do. I'm goin' crazy just sittin' here."

"You goin' to look for her yourself, Ain'tcha?" She asked.

Merle hadn't even realized that that was exactly what he would end up doing until she said something. All he could do was shrug.

"Well, if you do just make sure you're careful out there, okay?"

He nodded and then jumped when someone started banging on the door. He pulled the door open and was surprised to see Daryl, Maggie, Glen and Tyreese standing there.

Daryl just glared at him for a few long seconds and Merle found himself glaring back. He had told him that he was sorry. Had offered to help find her. He didn't know what else to do. Daryl shoved past him and the others filed in behind him.

"We're gonna need your help." Daryl said grudgingly, obviously not keen on the idea of Merle helping at all. "I lost the trail at the road about a mile down."

"So, you want my help now?" Merle said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Don't." Daryl growled stepping closer so they were only inches apart. "Don't start your shit, Merle. You owe me this much."

Merle eyed him angrily. "I suppose there's some truth to that. But if the trail ended then how the hell am I suppose to help you? I ain't a fuckin' bloodhound. I can't sniff her out."

"The people that took her are your people. You know'em. Know how they think and you know what their next move will be. No civilians woulda' came here and done this. Your fuckin' cronies did this and you were their unofficial leader. Tell me what the hell to do."

"They ain't my people." Merle growled.

"Either way, you know'em better than I do. Where could they have taken her?"

Merle sat down in the rocking chair that sat near the door and leaned forward, studying his good hand. "These people ain't like yours. Been livin' here for a while. It wouldn't be easy for them to survive out there. Not in the open. So if they took her to a car, what's the closest shelter to here?"

Maggie froze in her pacing and looked from one Dixon to the next. "Prison. They've taken her to the prison." She breathed.

Daryl's head snapped up. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of that. As soon as he saw the trail end at the road that should have been his first guess. He wasn't thinking clearly. That's the only place those people could have gone. At least he hoped so. If not then they were going to be wasting a lot of time.

"They'll have people posted in those towers for sure." Merle said worriedly.

Tyreese shook his head. "Wont matter. We can go in the same way that we went in when we first found it. The same way we left when Carol saved your asses. The fence is down back there. Rick was going to fix it but he never got around to it and then we came here. Unless they've found it and repaired it then it shouldn't be a problem."

"But there's a lot of Walkers in there." Maggie said.

Daryl shook his head and readjusted the crossbow on his back. "Don't matter."

"But what if she isn't there?" Glen asked the obvious.

Daryl and Merle both shot him angry looks.

"What? We have to consider it. Look at every angle here. If she isn't there then where should we look after that?"

"Ain't no where else she can be." Merle said as he stood up.

Daryl put a hand to his chest. "We got it. You stay here."

Merle pushed Daryl's hand away. "Bullshit. I'm goin'.

"This is my call, Merle." Daryl growled.

"You wanna waste some more time bein' an asshole or are we goin' to get your woman?" Merle asked angrily. "The longer we stand here measurin' our dicks the bigger the chance she'll be dead before we get there."

"Fine." Daryl growled as he shoved past Merle and back out the door.


	23. Chapter 23

**Sorry it has taken me so long to post such a short chapter! I think I have the flu or something and so does everyone else in my house so I haven't really felt like writing much at all. We're down to the last few chapters too and it's bitter sweet and I think maybe subconsciously I'm avoiding finishing it. It's been a great trip =) I'm going to get started on the next chapter right away so hopefully you wont have to wait so long. Thanks for your reviews! **

Chapter Twenty Three

The man and woman had eventually left and Carol wasn't sure how long she had been lying there. She felt guilt over what had happened to Andrea. She, along with Maggie, had been planning on doing something about the woman themselves, but she knew that when it came right down to it, she wouldn't have been able to. She had wanted her people to be safe and she had felt that Andrea was a danger to them. No one ever really knew where Andrea's loyalties were. Or even if she had any. But at one time they had been close. Andrea had been her friend. So she didn't think she ever could have gone through with it.

She felt guilt because what happened that night in Woodbury had had nothing to do with Andrea. Carol was the one that had caused that. That blood was on her hands and Andrea had been the one to pay that price with her life. Those people thought Andrea had betrayed them and so they had killed her. And she also felt guilt because, no matter how much she defended Maggie, she had really thought the girl had done it. She should have known better.

She looked up when she heard the cell door open. A girl came in holding a bottle of water and trying hard to not look afraid. She was probably twelve or thirteen, if Carol had to guess her age.

"The others are outside." The girl whispered, "My mom was talking about you earlier, told them they should bring you a drink but no one would. Are you thirsty?" The girl was whispering and kept glancing towards the doorway.

Carol hadn't even realized how thirsty she really was. She nodded to the girl. "Thank you. But I don't want you to get in any trouble for it."

The girl just shook her head and walked over to the bunk. She held up the water and Carol drank, rather greedily.

"Ma'am, I don't think there's a way to avoid that in this place. Might as well get in trouble for doing something right."

"Thank you. What's your name?" Carol asked when she was finished.

"Jodie. My mom is Samantha. Not everyone here is bad, I just want you to know that. Whatever happens to you or anyone else they bring here, well, it isn't our fault." She sounded desperate for Carol to know this.

Carol nodded as the girl turned to leave. "Wait." She called suddenly. She had to ask the girl the question even though she was already sure of the answer.

The girl turned, still nervous she would be caught in the cell with Carol.

"That woman. The one that was here earlier, she said that I had something of hers and she wasn't talking about the town itself. What do I have that could belong to her?"

The girl smiled sadly and shook her head. "Makenzey, ma'am. You have their daughter." She turned then and disappeared through the door.

A new kind of fear licked it's way up Carol's spine. As far as she knew Daryl and Rick didn't even know she was missing yet. Especially since she had been avoiding Daryl to begin with. Why had she been such a bitch to him? Now Kenzey was in danger, not to mention others. Could they really take more of her people? She remembered what Hershel had said about the little girls bruises. The way she had acted with her and Daryl those first few days after they had found her. She couldn't let them get her back. She would die first, and she wasn't the only one.

She thought of something else to worry about after a while. If somehow they did already know she was missing then they were surely not far from finding her. She was cuffed to a bed, unable to do anything. She knew Daryl and the others would use force against anyone to save her and Jodie had made it a point to tell her that not all of them were bad. But if Daryl was coming, that wouldn't matter. It would be a shoot first and ask questions later sort of situation. Carol couldn't stand the thought of more people dying. She needed to figure out a way to get out of this situation. She pulled against the cuffs but it was still no use. They were too tight. Whoever put them on her wasn't taking any chances.

"That wont work, lady." That same green eyed woman stood smiling in the doorway. Carol had been so lost in thought that she hadn't heard her approach. "The best thing you could do is stay calm and collected. I don't want to have to kill you, but I will if you don't give me a choice. Do you need to use the bathroom?"

"Yes. Please." Carol said, trying to make her voice sound as weak as possible. It wasn't too hard since her head really was still pounding.

"Like I said. I wont kill you unless you give me a good reason to. My husband wants you alive." She stepped closer to the bed and unlocked one of the cuffs, pulling the short chain through the bar it was wrapped around and then quickly clamping it around Carols wrist again.

Carol didn't try to fight her. Not yet. If it was just this one woman escorting her to the bathroom then she would be fine. Surely she could get away.

"So, have you enjoyed playing mommy to my kid all week?" She asked as she yanked Carol up by the arm.

Carol didn't respond right away. She just kept her eyes on the floor.

"I asked you a question." The woman snapped.

"Yes. She's a good kid. We thought her parents were dead. She thought you were dead." Carol said as she kept her voice as meek as she could. On the inside she was seething.

"Well, we aren't. And she's going to find that out here real soon." She grinned as she led Carol out of the cell block.

She didn't take Carol to the shower room right away. Too Carol's dismay, the woman stopped and started talking with two other people. Men. She stood there nervously as the three of them chatted about taking back the town and what to do about the other survivors that were in the prison. The ones that weren't to enthused about these peoples plan to kill anyone that tried to get in their way.

Daryl drove the SUV. Everyone was silent and anxious.

"We wont get to her if you kill us in a crash, little brother." Merle grumbled in the passenger seat.

"Shut up. I don't need you runnin' commentary." He snapped, never taking his eyes off the road. He did let up on the gas a little when he noticed he was going ninety five.

They parked on the side of the road not far from the prison and tore into the woods once more. They weren't as quiet as they usually were since they were more concerned with just getting inside. None of them figured there would be anyone else in the woods and what Walkers showed up were easily handled. Killing them was like second nature to everyone now.

Tyreese was right. When they left the cover of the trees the fence him and his group had came through was still down. There were Walkers beyond the fence and an open door which meant there were probably more Walkers inside. Daryl didn't care. All of them but Merle and Tyreese knew the prison pretty well and as long as the Woodbury survivors were staying in their old cell block then this should be clean and quick. They all hoped anyway.

"How do we do this?" Maggie whispered as they neared the fallen fence.

Daryl stopped and surveyed their surroundings. There weren't many Walkers near the prison. They could be easily taken out with knives or the crossbow. What he was worried about was getting in and facing down a mini herd in the tunnels. They wouldn't have a choice but to use their guns or die and if they used guns their cover was blown. If the people knew there was a rescue party then they could just decide to kill her and then hunt down her rescuers. But he couldn't wait out here all day. He just had to hope that luck was with them.

"We do this the same way we do everything. Quick and quiet." He said as he squinted towards the doorway.

Glen actually chuckled causing Maggie to dig a sharp elbow into his ribs. He sobered up quickly.

They moved together as one as they handled the Walkers outside of the entrance. Daryl was the first to go inside, crossbow at the ready. There was nothing in this hallway so he motioned for the others to follow. They all went in low and fast. The silence in the damp halls was almost deafening. They had picked off Walkers easily but as they went to round another bend Daryl ducked down and motioned for the others to do the same.

He slowly looked around the side of the wall and he saw the shadows of many Walkers advancing. "Go!" He hissed as he went back the way he had come. There was a door to his left and he opened it, checking inside fast before motioning for the rest of them to follow. It was another small space much like the one he had found Carol in. it could have been the same one but he had no way of knowing for sure. It was easy to loose your bearings in the maze of the tunnels.

They all held their breath when they heard the shuffling feet outside the door. If one of them made a sound it would be over. Daryl thought the herd would never pass but finally they did. They still remained where they were, breathing shallowly as they waited long enough for the herd to have traveled out of hearing, or smelling, range.

"Are we just going to kill them all?" Glen asked as they continued on their way.

"Yep." Daryl answered with no hesitation.

"But what if they ain't all bad?" Maggie whispered.

"What do you want me to do? Sit down to tea with these assholes. Get to know'em a bit before I get Carol the hell outta here?" He snapped angrily.

"He's right." Merle said quietly.

Daryl shot him a narrow eyed glance. "I thought I told you to shut up? I don't need to hear your stupid mouth."

Merle looked like he was about to say something but a noise from around the corner had him tightening his lips. He glared at Daryl but didn't say a word.

These footsteps weren't those of Walkers. These were people and they were getting closer. They all backtracked once more and again found themselves in a room, waiting to hear whoever was out in the hall.

Daryl strained his ears and then finally he heard a voice. His grip tightened on the crossbow as his breath rushed out in relief.

"It really takes three of you to take one woman to the bathroom?" Carol asked, sounding a little annoyed.

Daryl could almost feel the others grins in the dark. He was grinning himself.

A man's voice came next. "What, you think we're dumb enough to let you go on your own?"

"A woman can dream, can't she?" Carol muttered.

Their footsteps went on past the door and then Daryl opened it slowly. Peering out and down the hall where the voices and footsteps were headed.

"What'dya think?" Merle Whispered. "You're the boss. What do we do?"

Daryl slipped out the door and crouched there in the hallway, looking both ways. When he saw no one else he hurried down the way they had come. She had mentioned using the bathroom so he figured they were taking her to the shower rooms. That was the only room other than the kitchen that they had kept running water on. All the valves were closed off to the rest of the building. They had all had toilets in their cells but none of them had been keen on the idea of sleeping next to the same place they were using the bathroom.

Just around the bend he saw them. There was a dark haired woman that was leading Carol by the elbow and then two men next to her, apparently serving as back up. He had to admit, it was smart of them. Carol was small and didn't look like she could do a whole lot of damage but in truth she was very capable. More than a lot of men that Daryl had met throughout his life.

He held the crossbow up just before they came to the doorway of the shower room. He shot the biggest man right in the head. The man crumpled in a heap next to his friend.

"What the hell?" The other man muttered as he looked down at his fallen friend.

"Oh, you guys are fucked now." Carol said with a laugh. This earned her a back hand across the mouth by the woman that was still holding onto her.

By the time they looked down the hall Daryl was already moving. Another arrow caught the other man in the throat. He staggered back, grabbing the bolt and yanking it out in one smooth motion. He landed on his fallen friend and then leaned his back into the wall as the front of his shirt soaked up the blood that was quickly pouring out of the wound.

Carol chose that moment to throw herself against the woman. The woman shoved back though and was stronger than Carol had anticipated. To Carol's dismay she landed hard on her ass as she tripped over the splayed legs of the man that had taken an arrow to the throat. She was okay though. Daryl could tell by the look on her face that the only thing wounded was her pride.

Maggie threw herself at the woman and they began fighting as Daryl pulled Carol up off the floor. Merle was patting down the men for the keys and finally produced some. They had her hands unlocked in seconds. She instantly threw her arms around Daryl's neck. He hugged her back tightly.

"I'm sorry for bein' such a bitch." She said when he finally pulled away. The only time she had been happier to see him was when she had found him in Woodbury.

"S'okay. What I want to hear you say your sorry for is makin' out with that piece of shit." He nodded towards Merle.

Carol's eyes went wide. "You told him I made out with you?" She asked incredulously.

"How old are we?" Merle grumbled. "I never told him we made out. Just that we kissed."

Maggie, who had the woman in a choke hold looked up. "You made out with Merle?"

"Merle, we didn't kiss you jerk! You kissed me! There's a difference." Carol hissed.

"Can we talk about this later?" Glen asked as he leaned casually against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. Tyreese was holding back laughter of his own.

"Right. We gotta kill these assholes and get the hell out of here." Daryl grumbled.

Carol grabbed his arm. "Daryl, wait. Not everyone here is bad. There's innocent people here."

He shook his head. "Not a chance I'm gonna take. Not this time. We get rid of them. Now."

He stalked off towards Glen and then turned. "Maggie, that's enough, don't you think?"

Maggie dropped the woman and stepped away as she gasped for air on the floor.

"Daryl, that's Kenzey's mom. Her dad is here too. I think he's their leader or somethin'."

Daryl's face became a hard mask. "You're that girls momma, not her" He gestured towards the woman glaring up at him. "This is the bitch that either put them bruises on her or the bitch that let someone else do it." His voice was cold. "And ain't nobody else that girl's daddy but me."

"He's gonna kill you for this." The woman spat. "Then he's probably going to kill her, just for spite."

Before Carol could stop him he raised the crossbow. Not a second later the woman dropped to the floor again. This time for good. Everyone stared at Daryl as he stared at the womans lifeless body.

He didn't feel bad about what he had done but by the looks on everyones faces that was exactly what they expected him to do. "Ain't nobody gonna threaten this group. Not again." he snapped and then they were on their way further into the prison once more.

"Daryl, we can't kill them all." Carol started once more.

He ignored her and kept his quick pace and finally she grabbed his arm. "What?" He roared. "What do you want me to do? You want me to let them all go. Sit around in Woodbury and hope they don't scrounge up a set a nuts between the lot of'em and come after us again? Cause that's the right thing to do? Jesus Christ." He spat, eying all of them. "Until our fearless leader hops off the crazy train I'm in charge. I make the calls. And we're gonna go kill these mother fuckers. Ain't nobody else getting hurt in that town."

"There are kids in there, Daryl." Carol said quietly. She was reeling slightly from his outburst. "At least one kid. She's about Carl's age. She helped me. Her mom is here too and probably others that just came with them too survive. We're not murderers."

His jaw was still hard. He was reminding her of the old Daryl. For a few fearful moments she thought he was going to ignore her and kill everyone in the prison that was from Woodbury. But eventually his eyes became more clear and his face softened a bit. He let out a huge sigh and looked back at the others.

"So what the fuck do we do now?" He asked of no one in particular.

Merle took a few steps towards Carol but Daryl was there in an instant, keeping his brother away. Merle threw his hands up. "What the fuck, boy. I have to talk to her sometime."

"Ain't nothin' you need to say to her that you can't say to me. I mean it, Merle. You keep your distance where she's concerned."

"She's my friend." Merle growled.

"Not anymore." Daryl growled back.

Carol stepped between them, a hand on each of their chest. She could feel the angry pounding of both their hearts under her palms. "This can wait. It's not the time for you two to do this."

Neither man looked at her. They were too busy glaring at one another for that.

"So that's how you plan to be, little brother. You think you own her? You gonna tell her to stay away from me?"

"Merle, please." She begged but it was like she hadn't said anything.

Daryl shook his head. "I don't own her, but what do you think she's gonna do? Choose you over me?" He choked out a laugh. "You're nothin', Merle. Nothin' but a selfish no good crook. And sooner or later everybody else will figure you out."

Merle narrowed his eyes. "Is that right? That's what you're hopin' ain't it?" He smiled and moved a little closer despite the warning in Daryl's cold gaze, "You're hopin' she'll start thinkin' that way again because you're scared now, ain't ya boy? You're scared she liked it."

Carol was about to abandon trying to keep the men apart and focus solely on Daryl but she didn't have to. Just as Daryl went for Merle Tyreese had him, dragging him back as Glen and Maggie both launched themselves at Merle. Both men struggled to get at the other.

"Stop!" Carol hissed. "Just stop."

They did seem to calm down a bit as they both looked at her and then they looked up and started struggling again. Now it was her throwing up her hands in frustration. "Fuck it. Let'em beat the shit out of each other." She grumbled as she stalked off down the hall alone.

Tyreese instantly let go of Daryl and hurried after the angry woman. He wasn't about to let her go off anywhere alone, neither was any of the others so they all, for now, let the drama drop. Merle and Daryl continued on, staying as far apart as they could get.

Daryl watched as Carol wordlessly went around Maggie and pulled a rifle out of the bag strapped to her back. "We need to go in their with these," She said as she handed the guns out. "It will let them know that we mean business. I'm not sure what kind of fire power they have but I haven't seen a gun since I've been here. That doesn't mean they don't have them, but I want us to look like we mean business. We're gonna figure out which ones are trouble and which ones need to be taken home. Because it was their home first and they shouldn't have to pay for what these men did. And that's my call, Dixon." She said as she turned and headed back towards their old cell block.

Daryl couldn't fight the grin that tugged at his mouth. He was proud of this woman. Even if she was a huge pain in his ass.


	24. Chapter 24

**This seemed to take forever! Second to the last chapter. I'm sad that it's almost over. I hope you like this one as much as I did. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

Chapter Twenty Four

Daryl let Carol make the call but he wasn't letting her enter the cell block first. He had to draw the line somewhere. He went in quick, the others following his lead. Most of the men and women looked scared at the sight of them. Guns aimed, advancing on them military style, fanning out like a bunch of old pro's.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Jude." Merle clucked his tongue at a man that was inching his way towards a shot gun that was propped up a few feet away.

"Hands in the air, folks." Daryl said loudly. "We're gonna try to make this as clean as we can. Now, I wanna know which one of you calls himself Kenzey's dad?"

Carol shot the man a look and then he stepped foreword. She nodded to Jodie and the woman that she assumed was the girls mother. "You two are safe. I want you behind us. We're taking you home." She said in a kind tone.

Daryl walked up to the man and glared at him. He stood like that until the man opened his mouth to say something and then Daryl slammed the butt of the gun right into his mouth. The man cried out and then went to his knees, holding his hand up to catch the blood that was pouring from his lips and gums. He spat and blood and teeth went flying.

"You like to put your hands on little kids, mother fucker?" Daryl growled as he held the barrel of the rifle like a baseball bat and swung. It hit the man in the side of the face and he flew backwards, landing on his back.

The look on Daryl's face was frightening. Jodie and her mother rushed to stand behind Carol as all eyes in the room were on Daryl and the man. All except Tyreese, Maggie and Glen. They were keeping their eyes on the other people in the room, guns pointed, faces calm and confident.

Merle and Carol however were watching Daryl worriedly. They glanced at one another and locked eyes for a few heavy seconds. Daryl didn't really seem to be with them anymore. He kept hitting the man and screaming about beating on kids. But Carol didn't think it was the man that Daryl was hitting. He was seeing his father now. The man that had left him scarred and emotionally locked inside himself. Merle knew it too and Carol could see in Merle's own eyes that he wanted to help his brother. Had always wanted to help his brother. It was heartbreaking to watch.

Eventually the man stopped moving but Daryl didn't stop. Merle came up behind him and touched his shoulder. Daryl spun around, his eyes locking on his brothers and then he drew back like he was going to hit Merle too.

"Not here, little brother. There'll be time for that later. Get your head back in the game." Merle murmured and it seemed to work. Daryl blinked and then suddenly realized he had an audience.

"Who else?" He asked suddenly, his voice strong once more. "Who were the ones with the master plan to kidnap my people and take back Woodbury? I need names folks."

Jodie poked her head around Carol's body and looked at him fearfully. Then she took a deep breath and stepped out from behind her, her mother tried to pull her back but Jodie just shook her off.

"Sir?" She said quietly.

Daryl looked at her and then the side of his mouth curled up in a half smile. "Ain't no sir, kid. It's Daryl. Just Daryl."

Jodie nodded, stepping even closer, Daryl glanced behind her when he heard the kids mom gasp.

"Okay, Daryl. There's four men over there, the ones in that corner, they aren't bad. They've been trying to figure out a way to get us out of here so they could talk to you and your people. To see if we could come back."

Daryl studied the girl for a minute and then nodded. He looked up at the four men and then pointed to the spot behind Carol where the girls mom still stood, looking very shaken at her daughters boldness. "You four. Go over there behind Carol." The men did as he said. "What about the rest?" He asked her.

There was another girl, maybe a year or two younger than Jodie and a boy that was about the same age. She pointed to them and the women they were standing with. "That's it." Jodie said, hands on her hips. "The rest are the ones that do all the bad stuff."

He nodded and then leaned down a bit so he was more at eye level with the girl. She reminded him, painfully, of Sophia. Not in the way she looked. This little girl was blond with brown eyes but there was a strength to the girl that he could see. He had seen it in Sophia even though he had never talked to her. At first glance she seemed afraid. But when you really looked at her you just knew that she was going to be somebody. Going to change the world somehow. He cleared his throat, it suddenly seemed hard to swallow. The girl held his gaze.

"Maybe you should get back over there with your momma before she has a stroke, okay?" He said in a gruff voice.

She nodded. "Okay, glad to help." She darted back behind Carol, much to her mothers relief.

Daryl ordered Carol, Glen and Tyreese to take the people outside while Maggie and Merle stayed with him. He knew out of everyone these two wouldn't be the ones to not have a problem with killing these men that were left.

"I had no idea that the son of a bitch even had a daughter." Merle said as he kicked at the corpse of Kenzey's father.

"That's cause he didn't. He had a punching bag." Daryl grumbled as he watched Maggie glare at the men.

"I guess." Merle grumbled.

Carol led the people out to the yard. She wanted to get back home. It seemed like she had been gone a long time. She missed Kenzey like mad. She wanted to make things right with Daryl and Merle. Merle was right. He was her friend and she loved him. She understood why he had kissed her. It wasn't about passion or attraction. The man had kissed her out of pure fear. Merle was just having a hard time dealing with things but it would get easier for him. He needed her and he needed Daryl. It seemed like forever since her and Daryl had been able to be alone. She needed that. Needed to talk some sense into him.

"So, is the town still safe? They told us that you guys were military and it was dangerous now with everyone packing weapons."

Carol glanced at the girl who spoke. She looked to be about Maggie's age. She had long brown hair that was swept up in a messy bun and eyes that were so light brown they almost looked like the color of honey. She was stunning. "We all have weapons. You will too once you get back. They're for protection. We don't go off hunting for people to hurt. Even our kids are trained to defend themselves. We aren't military and we aren't dangerous until we have to be. We're all family. You wont have a thing to worry about. You'll be much safer with us than you were with the Governor."

The girl nodded. "So, you'll teach us how to use those? All of us?"

"Yes. Every one of you." She looked pointedly at Jodie and the other children.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Samantha, Jodie's mom, asked.

"My daughter was about Jodie's age when she was bitten by a Walker." Samantha's face had gone pale. "If we would have taught her how to use a weapon back then she would still be with me today. The world is harsh. Things are different now."

As if on cue gunshots rang out inside the prison and the ten people standing outside cringed a little. Glen, Carol and Tyreese just looked at one another knowingly.

There had actually been more people than the man and woman had admitted to Carol, or they had just let her know about the fourteen that were planning on taking Woodbury back. Either way it wasn't an issue anymore. They were safe once again, for now. She wasn't delusional. She knew there were still danger's around every corner.

Daryl, Merle and Maggie made their way back out. They didn't comment on what had just happened. It was simply something that had to be done.

They had to take more than one vehicle but there were plenty around the prison that would make it to the town. When they pulled up they all unloaded from the vehicles. Adam and Carl took in the scene and then when they saw Carol they both grinned and waved.

"Good to have you back, Carol!" Carl yelled. They both still held onto their rifles firmly.

"Jesus," one of the men breathed. "You have children on the wall? Do you think that's a good way to guard the town?"

Daryl just shook his head. "Our kids know their way around weapons, Mister. You ain't got a thing to worry about."

The gate began to open and Michonne poked her head out. When she saw Carol her whole face split into a grin just as Carl had done. Carol nearly ran to the woman and they hugged each other fiercely.

"Pick up a few strays?" She asked as she dropped her hands to her side.

Carol rolled her eyes. "I suppose we did. But you were a stray once too and look how well you turned out?" She smiled sweetly until Michonne punched her in the arm.

"Shut up." Michonne grumbled but she couldn't help but hang on to the smile.

The sun was beginning to set and once again there was a crowd on the other side of the fence. Carol was met with more smiles and hugs from the others. Beth was walking with Emily, both only had eyes for Merle which caused Merle to start looking uncomfortable. Maggie was beside him holding his hand with one of hers and Glens with her other.

Carol couldn't help but laugh at his expression. He was still like a rabbit in a cage but he was getting better. Beth hugged him first and then she stepped away so Emily could have her turn.

Kenzey came barreling out of the clinic just then and threw herself at Daryl. "You didn't even tell me anything!" She yelled angrily as he picked her up.

"I had to hurry, kid. I had to get Carol back and I didn't have a lot of time." he said, his tone was apologetic.

She scowled and then she looked past his shoulder at the group that were still huddled together in front of the gate. Her eyes were wide when she searched Daryl's face again. "Uh oh." She mumbled causing Daryl to frown.

"What?" He asked. Now everyone was watching them.

"I didn't know they would take her. Carol. I didn't think they would come back once you guys came here." Kenzey said, eyes bright with unshed tears.

"What are you talkin' about, Kenzey?" He asked, wishing he could take the pain out of her voice.

"When I saw the men with the guns. I told you I didn't know them. But I lied. I didn't know they would come back though." She said, voice strained. "I didn't know they would take Carol."

"You knew the men with the guns?" He asked softly.

She nodded solemnly. "I knew one."

"Your dad was one, wasn't he?" Daryl asked.

She nodded again. "I thought if you knew I still had parents you and Carol would give me back. Are you gonna give me back?"

"They're dead now. You ain't goin' any damn where." He said.

She was visibly relieved. So was he. Carol made her way over to them and took Kenzey in her own arms and hugged her.

It had been a long day for everyone. Daryl let Rick handle the newcomers. All he wanted to do now was go home and relax for a minute. Kenzey had already eaten with Beth and Hershel and Daryl didn't have much appetite. He really wanted to talk to Carol. Last night had been miserable and today had been even worse. He felt like there was a lot that needed to be said but when Kenzey was finally in bed and they were alone all he could do was look at her.

She sat curled up against the arm of the couch, absently playing with a loose thread on one of the stupid throw pillows that Daryl still didn't know why they had. He thought they were pretty useless. She looked like she was deep in thought.

He sat down next to her and then groaned.

"What's wrong?" She asked worriedly.

He just shook his head, smiling slightly. "Some crazy wench banned me to the couch last night. My back ain't used to it."

"I really am sorry about that. I don't know why I got so mad." She leaned into him and sighed.

He shrugged. "You love Maggie."

She laughed. "Everyone loves Maggie."

He just grunted. "I don't love her enough to let her sleep on my couch the rest of her life."

"At least she can sleep on the couch without whining like a baby about it." Carol countered with a laugh.

He snorted.

She turned her body and draped her legs across his lap. "We need to talk about Merle." she said with a sigh.

"No we don't." He grumbled. "You just need to stay the hell away from Merle and then there wont be nothin' to talk about. Besides, this is just an excuse to talk. That's all women wanna do."

"I'm not gonna do that." She said, hoping this wasn't going to lead to another fight.

He shook his head. "Course not. What sense would that make?"

"You know he didn't mean to do it, Daryl." She said softly, knowing that meeting his anger wouldn't help at this point.

He looked at her like she was crazy. "And how do you kiss somebody, your own brothers woman, and not mean to do it?"

She wasn't sure how to explain it. She sighed.

"Exactly." he said, looking away.

"You're a real stubborn asshole, you know that?" She grumbled as she went back to picking at the pillow.

"You tellin' me that if that Helen woman came and shoved her tongue down my throat, you would be okay with me and her bein' all buddy buddy afterword?"

She made a face and then glared at him. "That's different. Merle didn't even use tongue."

"I suppose it is. She ain't your sister. She don't owe you no loyalty. That's how it's different. And not just that. He kisses you and then he leaves you alone so you could get kidnapped." He shook his head.

"He didn't know that was gonna happen." She argued.

"Of course he didn't. Cause to think about somethin' like that would mean he wasn't thinkin' about himself and Merle Dixon can't not think about himself. I was really startin' to trust him too. Things were actually getting good, for the first time in our lives. And he has to go off and do somethin' like that. And not just the kiss either. He told me that he was tryin' to get you to leave with him. Or did he not mean to do that either?"

"He was just scared." She muttered, knowing she wasn't getting anywhere.

"Of what?" He scoffed.

"I don't know but you should have seen him. He was like a deer in the headlights. Everything that's happened to you happened over time. You were able to adjust to things because you had the time to do it. You didn't wake up one day and everything is turned upside down. Merle has had a week to adjust. One week. And things just keep snowballin' for the man. He has the right to freak out. To be afraid of all the stuff happening around him."

"There ain't nothin' happenin' to him that's scary enough to do what he did." Daryl wouldn't let up. Wouldn't give his brother the benefit of the doubt. Not this time. "Merle has an excuse for every low down rotten thing he does. He's full of'em. He don't need you makin' up more for him."

"He felt really bad about doin' it, Daryl."

"Good. He can feel bad about it for the rest of his life. I don't give a damn."

"I'm not gonna avoid him. He's my friend and he is a good man, he's just got a few kinks to work out."

Daryl sighed loudly. "You're impossible."

"Will you try to work things out with him? Please?" She asked as she sat up and then climbed on top of him.

"No." He said flatly, keeping his face hard but letting his hands find their way to her hips.

She pressed her forehead against his and pressed herself against him a little harder. "He's your brother. You love him."

He growled low in his throat.

"Can you at least try? Please?" She moved so her head was lying on his shoulder, her mouth only inches from his throat.

"You're the fuckin' Devil. You know that?" He tried to sound angry but it wasn't very intimidating as his hands slid under her shirt.

She kissed his neck and smiled to herself as she slid off of him and took his hand.

"Fine." he grumbled as she led him down the hallway towards the bedroom. "I'll talk to him in the mornin' if that's really what you want me to do."

Merle was thinking about going downstairs and demanding that Daryl stop acting like a kid and talk to him about what happened that day. But then after remembering what he had said to him at the prison earlier he decided against it. He had really stirred the shit pot.

Emily was back in her same spot. He never met a woman that was constantly sitting on the floor. There were plenty of other places to sit but there she was, in front of the couch with her knees pulled up to her chest. She had that look about her too. The one that Merle was seeing less of as the days went by. That forlorn lost look she would get sometimes.

"Where's your head at, woman?" He asked from his place by the window. He'd been looking down on the town for a while now, debating on what to do about his brother. Or if he should just not do anything at all.

Emily raised her head up and offered him a vague smile before shrugging. "I don't know. Somewhere it don't need to be I guess."

He returned the smile even though it was just as humorless as hers.

"You know, you can tell me what your brother is so mad about. I'll find out eventually."

Merle sighed and turned back towards the window. "He's all pissed off because I kissed Carol today." He risked a peek at her from the corner of his eye. She didn't seem too upset. She was frowning.

"That's just dirty, Merle. How could you do somethin' like that to your brother? And you know Carol don't look at you that way!"

"I didn't mean to do it. It just sorta happened." He argued but he didn't put much into it. He'd already said all this before and so far no one else bought it.

"Well, I guess he'll get over it eventually." She said after a while.

"You ain't mad?" He asked, finally turning to face her.

She shrugged. "I was. Then I got over it."

"But you just now found out about it." Merle said with a frown.

Emily laughed and stood up. "Kenzey told everybody. Even told us that you used her to keep Daryl from shooting you. A human shield. Merle, you should really have just stayed in bed today."

"Little big mouth brat." He grumbled and once more turned his eyes outside. There were still quite a few people out there. Rick and those kids. A few of the newcomers were out and about too. There wasn't a curfew now the way there was when the town was ran by the Governor. It didn't matter what time it was anymore.

He stiffened when he felt Emily's arms slide around his waist and then felt her head press into the center of his back right below his shoulder blades.

"You ain't gotta tense up like that, Merle. I ain't gonna bite." She said softly.

"Wouldn't surprise me none." He said after a few minutes.

She laughed into his shirt. "It shouldn't. I've actually bit quite a few folks back home. But I wont bite you."

She didn't stay like that for very long. As soon as he started getting used to the feel of her back there she pulled away and then patted him on the back affectionately. "I was really worried about you today." She said as she came up beside him to gaze down at the town herself.

"Me?" He cocked an eyebrow at her. "The hell for?"

She just smiled and then touched his rough cheek with her small hand. Again he cursed himself for freezing up. "Cause you matter, Dummy."

"That's what I hear." He almost laughed.

She did laugh and then dropped her hand form his face. "I'm goin' to bed Merle."

He nodded.

"You comin'?"

He stopped nodding. He didn't move anything but his eyes as he glanced around the room and then let his eyes settle back on her when he realized she wasn't playing some sort of joke on him.

"Merle, we're grown ups. We can sleep in the same bed if we want to. You ain't gotta come but you ain't gotta stand there and act like I'm tryin' to steal your virtue either. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I want you there. It's as innocent as that." She made a face. "It has to be as innocent as that. I ain't quite healed up yet."

He didn't say anything to her but he followed her, which he thought was a big improvement to how he had acted last night.

"Which side?" She asked brightly, her smile was wide.

He shrugged and then had to clear his throat. "I don't guess it matters."

"Good. Cause I want the inside. That a way if somebody comes in then I can hear'em kill you and I can escape easier."

He had to laugh. Laughing was good. It felt normal to just laugh. He sat down on the edge of the bed and took his boots off. She climbed in behind him, wearing the same thing she had been wearing for the last hour. Just a pair of flannel pajama bottoms and a tank top. He didn't have anything else so he just laid down on his back, in his clothes and stared up at the ceiling.

"Jesus, Merle. You gonna sleep with the light on?" She huffed and then damn near draped herself across his midsection to reach the light that was on the bedside table. He grew still again, breath catching in his throat. He was afraid to move. But lucky for him she wasn't. She slid back as soon as the light was off and then she curled up right there next to him, lying her head on his arm.

"Hey, Merle?" She whispered after a long time.

"What?"

"Did you like kissing Carol?" He felt her giggle beside him and he groaned.

"No." He answered truthfully.

She raised her head off his arm and laughed. "How come?"

"Kept thinkin' that I was probably getting' Daryl's spit all over my lips." He tried to sound serious but when she cracked up he joined in. "No, honestly when I realized what I was doin' it felt a little gross. Like I was kissin' my kid sister or somethin'."

Out of no where Merle felt her shift and then her lips touched his. He did the same thing to her that Carol had done to him. He froze up for a minute. He wasn't sure what he was suppose to do. If he moved to fast then she might get scared and if he didn't do anything at all then she was going to get her feelings hurt. But it felt good. Really good so he just relaxed into it and let her lips explore his at whatever pace suited her.

The two of them had become inseparable since the night he had found her in the middle of a breakdown in the bathroom of the clinic. But he'd kept his distance physically and probably even emotionally. Not wanting her to think that he wanted something that she wasn't ready to give. Or even physically able to give right now.

Merle hadn't ever liked kissing before. He thought it was a waste of time. But this wasn't like anything he'd ever felt. She wasn't trying to be seductive and she wasn't trying to turn him on, even though that was exactly what was happening regardless of how much he told himself not too, his body wouldn't listen to him.

When he finally started kissing her back she smiled. "There you go, Merle. This ain't so bad, now is it?" She didn't give him a chance to answer her before her mouth found his again.

He was way out of his element and he knew it. He didn't really know what he was doing here but the urge to flee from her was gone. He'd learn. Daryl learned and he had been in even worse shape than Merle.

Daryl cracked open one sleepy eye. He was hot. Usually things like heat and cold didn't bother him much. He'd spent a good portion of his life outdoors and elements was something he was already used too. But this was different. The room was hot, sure, but he was sweltering. He found the reason for his discomfort and then smiled. Kenzey must have crawled in bed with them during the night and now she was pressed up against his side with her head on his shoulder.

Carol was in almost the exact same position on his other side and being pressed in between them like that was burning him up. He didn't get how two people as small as them could produce so much body heat. He eased himself up in a sitting position and wiped the sweat off his face. He tried to crawl over Carol without waking her up but it didn't work. Her eyes snapped open and then she had her arms around his neck.

"Where you goin'?" She grumbled.

"Shower. I stink." He whispered, glancing over to make sure Kenzey was still asleep.

Carol followed his gaze and then sighed, letting go of him. "Save me some water, would ya?" She asked as she followed him out of the room.

By the time he was out of the shower she was almost done cooking. Daryl didn't even care that the table was already full when he got there. For some reason he was in a good mood.

Maggie and Glen were there, along with Michonne, Tyreese, Rick, Carl, Beth and Hershel. Kenzey flashed him a sheepish grin, expecting him to start in on all the people that were already there. Rick even went to get up so Daryl could have a seat at his own table but Daryl pushed him back down with a hand on his shoulder as he went by.

"May as well keep your seat Rick, while I'm in the mood to let you have it, anyhow." He said lightly. He smirked as everyone looked at one another in surprise.

"I didn't come to eat your food or steal your seat Daryl." Rick grinned, "I'm here on business."

Daryl snorted as he took the cup that Carol silently handed him. "I shoulda known."

Rick rolled his eyes. "I was thinkin' last night. We have quite a few more people than we ever expected to have and it might be a good idea to have a meeting. Just so everyone knows the rules."

"Don't sound like a bad idea. What the hells that got to do with me?" He asked.

Rick let out a sigh and leaned back in his seat. "I need you to be there. You're in charge of weapons and security."

"The fuck does that mean? In charge?" Daryl didn't want to be in charge of anything. He stepped up when Rick needed him to. He took charge when it came to finding Carol. But that was it.

"Documenting weapons, keeping an eye on inventory, scheduling shifts for patrols, making sure everyone is trained. Just things like that." Rick smiled.

"No. I ain't your goddamn general in this set up Rick."

"It wont all fall on you. Tyreese and Merle will be doing most of the work. All you have to do is supervise."

Daryl shook his head. His good mood was fading fast and it was obvious that Rick was still wondering around crazyville. A knock at the door gave him the break he wanted. He stalked out of the kitchen and threw open the door.

"Mornin', handsome." Emily beamed up at him.

He would have been happy to see her but standing behind her, as usual, was Merle. He knew what he had told Carol last night but he didn't have a damn thing to say to the man. Whatever was left of the good mood crashed and he found himself scowling at them both.

"Daryl?" He turned and saw Carol in the kitchen doorway, eyebrows raised and giving him a pointed look.

He blew out a breath and opened the door wider. "Mornin', Emily."

They both came in and stood in front of the door. Emily looked at him expectantly. "You still mad about that kiss?" She asked.

Daryl felt his scowl deepen.

"Emily." Merle warned but she shushed him.

"You hush, Merle. We need to clear the air. This is just stupid. Daryl, he's your brother. You can't stay mad at him. I wasn't too happy to hear about it myself but sometimes we just gotta let things go."

Daryl groaned. "I know." He most definitely didn't know but he wasn't about to have both women on his ass over it. He didn't say anything else. He just turned and headed back towards the kitchen, earning a smile from Carol so it was almost worth it. Almost.

Rick talked through most of breakfast. Glen and Maggie were to round everyone up and then meet at the old bar. Merle and Tyreese were already talking about schedules and guns and Michonne brought up the idea for training the women to fight without weapons. The whole time Daryl sat there with his arms crossed or picked at his food glumly.

Kenzey had decided that if he was mad then so was she so she was mimicking him which caused Carol to gripe at her about not eating.

Eventually almost everyone left. Even Kenzey opted to go with Beth and Carl. The only ones left were Merle and Emily. The women were talking amongst themselves as they did the dishes which left Daryl stuck at the table with Merle.

"So, are we good or are you just actin' cause you're scared of the women?" Merle asked finally after the silence went on longer than he'd liked.

"You and me ain't never been good, Merle. So I guess we're about the same if that helps you sleep at night. And I ain't afraid of the women either." He added as an afterthought.

Merle shook his head but kept his voice quiet. "You're a real piece of work, you know that? At least I told you about it afterwords. God, when are you gonna jump off that high horse of yours. Stop thinkin' you're so much better than me."

"What? And stop treatin' you the way you've always treated me? Go to hell, Merle." He hissed.

Merle kicked him under the table and then turned his head to make sure Carol and Emily weren't watching. Daryl grimaced and tried to kick him back but Merle knew it was coming and dodged him.

"You son of bitch!" Daryl whispered. "As soon as they ain't around I'm kickin' your ass again."

"You ain't gonna do shit you little asshole. I let you get in a few hits out of guilt. Don't think for a minute you're big enough to beat my ass in a real fight."

Daryl smiled which caused Merle to wonder what he was up too and then Daryl took his coffee and tossed it. Right onto Merle's lap.

"You little fucker!" Merle roared as he stood up, knocking the chair over behind him.

"Jesus, Merle. I spilled it, sorry. You don't have to get all bent out of shape." Daryl apologized sincerely.

"Merle!" Emily came over with a dishrag and tried to help him which caused Merle's face to grow even more red.

"Here." He snatched the rag from her.

"He didn't mean to spill the damn coffee, Merle. You told me this mornin' that you weren't gonna start nothin'. You said you were gonna try to make things right. Screamin' at him for this is just you bein' a jerk." Emily was nearly yelling.

"Yeah, Merle." Daryl said with a smile. "I said I was sorry."

"Fuck you, Daryl! You dumped it right on my lap."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Merle!"

"What?" Merle growled. "He did, just cause he couldn't kick me back. He coulda burned my balls off!" His angry eyes slid back over to Daryl. "Keep grinnin' you little shit. You just wait."

"What do you mean 'kick you back'. Did you kick him first?" Emily glared.

Merle's head shot up and the guilty look he gave her pretty much told her the answer. Daryl watched, grinning like the Cheshire cat.

Emily sighed in exasperation. "Well, let's get you some more pants." She took him by the hand and led him to the door. "Carol, save me a seat! I'll meet you at the bar."

Carol waved. When the door shut she shot Daryl an angry look.

"What?" He asked, letting the grin slip.

"You dumped coffee on your brother, didn't you?" She asked, hands on her hips.

"He kicked me. He's an asshole." Daryl grumbled, feeling his victory dim a little under Carol's angry look.

"Daryl, you could have really hurt him."

"Good. I bet I have a bruise on my shin but I don't hear you askin' me if I'm okay. Merle ain't nothin' but an overgrown baby." Daryl crossed his arms. "I tried to get along with him."

She rolled her eyes and was about to storm off but he was out of the chair and caught her by the arm, spinning her around and shoving her down so she was sitting on top of the table.

"I'm sorry." He grumbled as he leaned over her.

She couldn't help but grin as he worked his way between her legs. "Are you gonna tell Merle that?"

He nodded and then leaned into her further, kissing her neck. "I promise. I'll tell him as soon as I see him that I'm sorry." He kissed her lips and then pulled away quickly with a smirk. "Sorry that I pissed you off again."

She tried to smack him but he spun away before she could.

Rick and the others from their group met in the back of the bar to talk about everything that needed to be discussed. Emily was there too, with Merle. They had arranged tables close to the back of the bar where there was a stage that had probably held countless bands in the days before the place was deemed their conference hall.

Carol guessed that Maggie and Beth had cleaned up a lot in preparation of the meeting. All the tables had red cloths draped over them, all the chairs were clean, along with the everything else in the big open space. There were lanterns on the tables that were already glowing giving the worn wooden floors and the wood plank walls a soft glow. There was a folding table set up on the stage with four chairs behind it. She was impressed. This was like the real deal.

People eventually started filing into the bar and finding places to sit. Maggie and Glen came out of the back and walked towards her.

"Isn't this great?" Maggie asked as she led Carol to one of the tables that was closest to the stage. They all angled their chairs so they could see better when it all started. Emily sat with them. It didn't take long for everyone to show up. All of the tables by the stage were taken up by her group. Kenzey waved at her from one of the tables a few rows back where the other kids had gathered with Beth.

"This is amazin'." Emily breathed as she glanced around wide eyed.

"It's almost time." Maggie said with a grin as she nodded towards the stage.

The stage wasn't even a stage really. Just a raised partition about a foot off the ground, but it was the best thing Rick could come up with to make this seem more official. Him and Daryl stepped up followed by Merle and Tyreese, who were carrying two bags. Merle and Tyreese both took a seat at the table behind Rick and Daryl and started looking over some papers.

"I feel like I'm at a real life town meetin'." Emily grinned.

"It pretty much is." Carol whispered. "We are up to thirty people now. It wasn't but a few weeks ago all we had were ten counting Judith."

Daryl and Rick were deep in conversation as were Merle and Tyreese. Carol couldn't help but let her mind drift back to Canon. When they were all at the quarry things were very different. Daryl was like a child then, hovering in his brother's shadow, lonely and lost. Merle was horrible. Rick had been so full of hope and purpose after finding his family again. Carl was so innocent. Glen was always so fearless and willing to risk himself for the good of the group even then. And then there was herself, she shook her head at the thought of that long ago woman. That was definitely something she didn't miss. But watching them now, not just the men on the stage but Glen and Carl also, she couldn't help but feel a lump form in her throat. They had all shared so much. She knew how lucky she was to have them all.

She glanced over and caught Glen's eye. From the expression on his face he had been thinking along the same lines as herself. He reached across the table and took her hand, giving it a squeeze. "We've came pretty far, huh?" He said in a voice thick with emotion.

She smiled at him fondly and wiped away a traitorous tear that escaped her eye. "We really have."

Rick gave Daryl a nod and then they both turned at the same time, facing the crowd. The room grew silent. Daryl's eyes scanned the tables and then rested on her. He gave her a tight grin and then settled his features back down into his trademark scowl.

Rick cleared his throat. "I figure you all are wondering why we had you meet us here this morning." His voice was loud and filled with authority. "Most of you ended up in this town because of bad circumstances. I'm sure you've all lost loved ones and I'm sure that you've all seen a lot of bad things. And maybe some of you have even had to do some bad things." He took a deep breath and met Carols eyes.

"These people here," He gestured towards all of them in the front row, "These people are my family. And circumstances didn't bring my family and I here. We came here and we took this town. And that makes this town ours."

You could hear a pin drop as he paused to let his words sink in. No one shifted in their seats. No one uttered a word.

"That doesn't mean that you aren't all welcome here. You are. But right now, you are all strangers to us. One thing my family has learned over the past year is, sometimes, strangers are a lot more dangerous than the Walkers we're all so afraid of. The living are worse in a lot of ways." His eyes swept the crowd and lingered on Emily. "What we've decided to do is supply you all with your own weapons. And then we're going to train you how to use them. But keep in mind, if one day one of you ever decide to turn on one of us, or each other, we will kill you. It's that simple. That's the consequence.

He paused again, letting that one sink in, and then he turned and strolled over to the table. Merle handed him a sheet of paper and then he walked back up to the front of the stage next to Daryl.

"I understand that some of you were here before. You fled the town when it was overrun. You may have had houses on the other side of town. You're more than welcome to return to them. But what you should do is move to one of the apartment buildings closer to us. There's strength in numbers. We already have the roofs of the buildings secure and armed in case we get overrun again, or raided by another group. You would be safer with there. But that's your call. I wont tell you where you can and can't live.

Rick pointed at someone in the front row. "This man right here is Hershel. He's claimed the apartment behind the clinic for himself and his daughter Beth. He's our doctor."

Hershel waved a hand to the crowd, causing Carol and Maggie to grin.

"If any of you ever get sick or injured, go to this man. Even if you only have a cut. A cut now days is a lot more dangerous than it ever was before. We don't need anyone getting infections over something that could have been prevented by basic care.

He paused again and looked down at the paper that Merle had handed him. He handed it to Daryl, both their heads bent over the paper and then they nodded, glancing back at Merle and Tyreese before turning once more to the crowd. "You'll all be given food. You'll all have access to running water and even cars. You'll have everything you need here as long as you follow a few simple rules. First off, no one is to leave here alone. You have to pair up with someone else. Second, no violence against one another. I know there's going to be disagreements but we can't be wasting our time policing you. And then there's this." He held up the sheet of paper.

"Everyone has to help keep this place safe. No exceptions. Everyone will have a shift either on the wall or patrolling the fence. This isn't something that is up for discussion. This is a schedule of who is on the wall, who is on patrol and when."

"Sir?" A young voice said from somewhere towards the back. It was Jodie. She stood up so Rick could see her better.

"Go ahead." Rick urged.

"I want to learn to use a weapon. Will I be able to do that?" Her voice was stoney. She glanced down at her mother but quickly looked back up, meeting Rick's eyes.

He gave her a nod and then looked right at Carol. "How many of you women have been trained to use firearms?" He asked as his eyes flicked across the women in the crowd.

None of them spoke up.

Rick turned to Daryl. "This is Daryl Dixon. I want you all, women and men, to meet with him tomorrow morning behind the armory. He'll start training you, not just to use your guns but to know your weapon. It's more important than you think. He'll be handing them out to you tonight."

Daryl didn't say a word but Carol and some of the others heard an uneasy buzz of conversation behind them. He looked fierce and she was sure that several people weren't looking forward to working with him.

Rick cleared his throat again, ending the hushed conversations. "What about non projectile weapons or hand to hand combat? Anyone of you women had any training?"

All of the women looked at one another, the ones from Ed's group and the ones from the original Woodbury group. One of them decided to speak up. Helen, of course. "Sir, we're only women. We're not soldiers." She said in a tone that implied that Rick should have known better than to have even asked them that question.

Carol ground her teeth together and shot Michonne a look. She rolled her eyes looking quite offended.

"Carol, Michonne." Rick said their names and both women stood up and walked to the stage. Michonne stood next to Rick but Carol moved close to Daryl's side. He flashed her a proud grin and then surprised her by taking her hand, twining his fingers through hers as the crowd looked on.

"This is Carol and Michonne. And ma'am, by the time these two are done with you all, you will most definitely be soldiers. None of you here are just women. You're all an asset to this town. Believe it or not, these two women on this stage are probably the most dangerous out of anyone in our whole group. Please, never tell either of them that they are just women."

Carol looked over at Rick and frowned. He didn't need to tell these people that. Now they were all going to think her and Michonne were bloodthirsty freaks. Michonne looked smug, like he'd told her she was beautiful. Now it was Carol rolling her eyes.

Rick went on without looking at her. "After your gun training with Daryl all the women will meet with these two. There is a large area behind this building and there you will start your combat training."

Now Tara raised her hand. Rick nodded to her. "Are you sure this isn't a bit extreme. I mean, I think it's great that you're offering us all of this but I don't see why we have to do it even if we don't want too."

Rick opened his mouth to say something but Carol stopped him.

"May I?" She asked, her steely gaze trained on Tara.

Daryl let go of her hand as Rick nodded. They both stepped back and Carol and Michonne stepped closer together. Carol looked at the other woman. Michonne nodded.

"How many women in this crowd has ever killed a Walker?" She asked. She was glad her voice was clear. She had never liked speaking in crowds and this crowd wasn't going to like what she had to say by the end of this.

All of the women from her own group raised their hands. Emily, Helen and Tara raised their hands also. Carol nodded.

"Now, how many of you have had your asses kicked by a man?" Emily, Helen and Tara raised their hands and so did Jodie, Samantha and the other two women that Carol didn't know yet.

She smiled bitterly. "Me too." She said.

Everyone in the room had their eyes on her as they listened intently. They were waiting for her to make her point but none of them were going to like her very much after that point was made. At least none of the new women.

"As some of you may already know I was married to a man that liked to beat me up. Thirteen long years of getting beat on. Broken bones. Hundreds of trips to the hospital. I didn't try to fight back. I was weak and I was worthless. I wasn't strong enough to protect myself and after the world as we knew it ended, I was even more weak. More dependent on my husband." She gave a harsh laugh. "Not my finest moment ladies. One night, at our camp, Rick and another from our group found him beating on me and they tossed him out. And even though he was gone. I was still weak.

"I had a daughter, Sophia, who was the same age as Jodie. My weakness ended up costing her her life." She paused and watched as Samantha put her arm around her daughters shoulders and then she felt Daryl's hand take hers again. He gave it a squeeze as she gave him a small smile.

"One of you told Rick that you're all just women, not soldiers. And Rick told you that you were all an asset." She looked every one of the women in the eye before she went on. "Rick is a good man. But Rick lied to you. None of you are an asset to this town, to my group or to my family.

She felt Daryl's eyes on her but she didn't look at him. "You're a liability to my people. You're weak and you're ineffectual. You're a burden to me and you're a burden to the people I love. If something happened and we were overrun right now, or another group came to take this town, my people would have to risk their lives to save yours. And that puts the people I love in danger. And I think it's only fair to tell you all right now that I would rather have your blood on my hands than theirs. I will let you die to save the people I love. We're not your guardians and we owe you nothing. And a few of you might find it wise to wipe those looks off your faces. I'm not here to pacify you or to sugar coat anything. If you ladies need somebody to stroke your ego's then you need to go somewhere else. I'm a Dixon and a Dixon isn't good for bullshit like that.

"I was just like you. Exactly like you." She gestured towards Daryl and then smiled. "This man saved my life on many occasion. He must have gotten sick of it because one day he knocked me on my ass and told me to fight back. And so I did. He didn't just teach me how to kick and throw a punch. It isn't just about dodging and pushing. It's surviving. You can't be weak in this world and live, not without putting other people at risk. He taught me how to find that anger I had locked away and use it. I'm sure I'm pissing you all off right now. Good. Show me tomorrow. Because you will learn. He was man enough to look me in the eye and tell me I'm weak. And I'm gonna do the same to each one of you. You don't have a choice. You can either be an asset to this group or you can hit the road."

Carol was finished. She finally looked over at Daryl and he was staring down at her with wide eyes. And then, in front of everyone watching he kissed her. Not just a quick kiss. No this was one of those kisses that made your knees turn to jello and made you forget where the hell you were even at. A sharp jab to her ribs had her pulling away and Michonne was staring at her, along with everyone else in the room. She felt her face turn red as she ducked behind Rick so he could finish whatever else he had to say.

Things went pretty fast after that. Daryl and Tyreese handed out guns. They taped the schedule to the inside of the door to the bar for everyone to get familiar with. None of the women said anything else out of the way. When it was over and everyone was mulling around Daryl pulled her through the doorway in the back by the stage.

"That was one hell of a speech there." He said as he pushed her though another doorway that led to a kitchen.

"I hadn't planned on doing that. I just figured they needed to know."

He lifted her off the floor and sat her down on the counter. He laughed and shook his head. "Yeah, and us Dixon's ain't to good at sugar coatin' shit are we?"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and grinned. "No, sir, we ain't."


	25. Chapter 25

**Okay, my friends, I believe this is it. I am not all that happy with this chapter. It being the last one and all it was the most difficult thing I've ever had to write. And I don't believe it measures up but I tried! I wasn't sure how happy you would be with it so if you guys think I should maybe do an epilogue, maybe a 'six months later' or something like that then just let me know and I think I could make it happen. I don't want you to be as disappointed with it as I am at the moment! I want to thank every one of you that has taken your time to read this story and given me advice. This being my first I was always pretty scared of how it would be accepted and most of you have been so so great! And patient ;) And I have to give a real special thanks to Axelrocks who, not only gives me lengthy reviews to read, keeps me laughing most nights, lets me vent to her on occasion and understands my weird obsessions but has also become like a fanfiction little sister to me. Much love to you my fellow weirdo ;) **

Chapter Twenty Five

Daryl stood in the middle of the large grassy lot, scowling angrily at all the women that were milling around by the building. Carol conned him into helping her even though Rick had been specific about who was suppose to be doing the training. Daryl was to handle the guns and Carol and Michonne was suppose to handle everything else. He had already put in his time. Had even brought Kenzey along. So far his star pupil was Jodie. That kid was a natural. Emily had helped him, already familiar with most of the weapons they had.

The four men that had came yesterday from the prison were pretty good with a gun. Two of them were brothers. Luke and Damon, and Daryl didn't care much for them. They were nice enough but he wanted to put them in the same group with the women. They looked like pretty boys. The type of guys that him and Merle would have beat up on back in the day. And it didn't help that all they wanted to talk about was Carol and Michonne. Tyreese had laughed it off but Daryl had gotten pretty tired of it after a while.

His gaze slid over the group once more and sure enough there they were. Luke and Damon, standing off to the side talking. Daryl smirked. They were probably talking about hair products or something. Pussies.

"What the hell you starin' at, little brother?"

Daryl glanced over and saw Merle and Emily coming his way. He'd decided last night, after a lot of persuasion on Carol's part, that he really should just let it go. Forgive his brother and move on. Merle was trying. Anybody could see that.

Daryl inclined his head towards the blond haired men leaning against the building.

"Pretty, ain't they?" Merle laughed.

Daryl snorted. "I just don't think they're gonna be very useful."

Merle squinted in their direction and shrugged. "I don't know. Don't underestimate'em. Maybe we'll get to the point where Ol' Rick wants to open a beauty salon. Bet them fella's know their way around a blow dryer. Our women would love it."

Daryl laughed until he noticed Emily glaring at him and Merle with her hands on her hips. "The two of you should be ashamed of yourselves. They seem like nice boys and you're gonna stand here makin' fun of'em. Can't everybody pull of that roughneck look the way you Dixon's can. Now you leave them boys be."

Merle shook his head. "Might need to keep your eye on the one on the left, bro. You see the way he was eyeballin' Carol when she was makin' that pretty speech yesterday mornin'? Thought the fella was gonna swoon right there."

Daryl glared. "Are you fuckin' serious?"

"Merle Dixon! That's enough!" Emily hissed as she started to pull him away by the hand.

Merle glanced over his shoulder with a grin.

"Fan fuckin' tastic." Daryl growled to himself. He had about enough of this waiting around. Carol had sworn that she needed him but he wasn't going to stand out here all day babysitting a bunch of women while her and Michonne took their sweet time getting their asses in gear.

He started pacing, trying to burn off his irritation but when he looked up and caught Helen looking at him he threw his hands in the air and stormed off towards the building. To hell with this. She had made him promise her that he would show up before he had left this morning and by hell he did. He didn't promise anything about waiting out here all day when there were better things to do. Besides, he wasn't going to be stared at like a circus freak by that insane Helen woman.

When he made it about half way to the door he noticed that the brothers by the wall were staring at something. He followed their eyes and finally saw Carol and Michonne walking towards the group. When Carol looked up and saw him she smiled and waved. He looked over at the brothers once more and the younger one, Luke, was watching Carol approach. Daryl watched the guys mouth pull up in a wide smile and his brother elbowed him in the ribs, whispering something to him that had the guy nodding. Daryl was about to see red.

Michonne stopped and started talking to Emily and Merle but Carol kept coming towards him until Michonne called out and she turned around.

"Son of a bitch." He gaped and then looked quickly over at the guys by the wall. Yep, they were definitely staring now. Carol knew they would be getting pretty physical for this so she opted for comfort. She was wearing a pair of black yoga pants and a tank top. She usually only wore stuff like that around the house, and he didn't mind that at all because the way those stupid pants hugged every damn part of her body bordered on obscene. At home he was the only one that could see what her ass looked like in pants like that. Daryl growled low in his throat. As soon as she wasn't looking he was going to burn them.

She said something to Michonne and then turned back around and continued on, still smiling at him. He was scowling at her. When she did look away from him it was to scan the crowd. Most of the new woman were giving her dirty looks and Daryl was guessing that some of them couldn't wait to try to one up her. She had been pretty direct yesterday and she had basically told them all they were worthless. But she didn't look too worried. She gave them a smug smile and then finally reached him.

"You came." She grinned.

"You're late." He grumbled. And then he looked at the men again. They caught one look at his face and then they both found other things to occupy their eyes.

"Bad mood?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"No." He let his eyes rake over her and then a flash of skin caught his attention. The tank top wasn't quite long enough and just a breath of skin showed where the shirt and waistline came together. He had the overwhelming urge to run his fingers across that pale line of skin, knowing how soft it would feel.

"Now's not the time tough guy. I got work to do." She reached up and brushed a kiss across his lips.

He blinked in surprise that she had guessed exactly where his mind was headed. "I don't know what your talkin' about, woman. And I was about to leave. You shoulda been here thirty minutes ago."

"I figured as much. You have no patience." She said as she looked towards the crowd once more. They were all coming in closer, standing in one large group around Emily and Merle. "What's Merle doin' here?" She asked as she turned up a bottle of water.

He snorted. "He probably has a bossy woman tellin' him what to do and where to be all the time. Happens to the best of us." He kept glancing at the brothers but they were keeping their eyes elsewhere.

"Mmmm. You're probably right. And don't scowl at me, Dixon. You know you love it." She reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck. He was glad because it gave him an excuse to touch her.

"No, I don't. But I do love you so I let you get away with it." She gave him a strange look which caused him to frown. "What?" He asked.

"You've never said that to me before." She looked disappointed.

"Huh?"

"You just said you loved me. And you've never said it before. And you choose the middle of a dusty lot surrounded by a bunch of angry women to finally tell me you love me?" She sounded pissed.

"What? You already knew that." He didn't know what the big deal was. "You think I would put up with you otherwise?" Okay, maybe he should just shut up now.

Her eyebrows came together as she glared at him but she didn't move her arms from around his neck so he was still okay. For now. "You're a real piece of work, Daryl."

"What'd I do?" He asked, exasperated. He didn't think he would ever understand women. She was mad at him for telling her he loved her.

Her mouth set in a hard line as she stared at him. "You could have picked a better time to say it. It doesn't matter that I already knew it, you jackass."

He blew out a breath. "But if you already knew it then it shouldn't matter when I say it. Or where I say it." Women were definitely crazy.

"You have to be the most unromantic person I've ever met." She fumed.

His scowl deepened. "I was romantic last night."

"Daryl, we had sex on the bedroom floor... again. Because you didn't want to waste the time it would take to walk across the room to the bed. Floor sex is not romantic."

"But it was good floor sex." He argued.

He sounded so serious that she had to laugh which broke the tension instantly. "Yes, it really was." She shook her head and kissed him again, this time harder than before.

They broke apart when Michonne cleared her throat loudly. "Are we going to do this or not? We are suppose to be teaching these women how to defend themselves, not how to engage in public displays of affection." She arched an eyebrow and then turned around, facing the crowd.

Carol joined her but Daryl hung back, clearly unsure of what he was even doing there.

"What am I suppose to say?" Carol whispered.

Michonne shrugged. "You're the bad tempered chatterbox. I'm the strong silent mysterious one." She tried to hide a smile.

"Your a real help, you know that?" Carol rolled her eyes.

"Maybe you could have them demonstrate anything they already know." Michonne suggested.

"That sounds pretty dull." Daryl interjected from behind them. They both turned. "They obviously don't know shit. If they did then one of'em woulda said so yesterday. I think the two of you should go at it."

"Me and Michonne?" Carol asked, glancing over at the other woman. Her head shot back towards Daryl, he didn't like the look she was giving him. "You!" She gave him a smile. The very one that usually got him to do whatever she wanted. He backed away shaking his head.

"I ain't in this. This is yours, woman! I already did my job for the day."

"Daryl, it's a good idea. Teaching them to fight bigger and stronger people! They can watch me and you! It's like second nature to us. We've done this hundreds of times!" She was excited. Her eyes were wide and bright.

He shook his head. "No way. I ain't getting' out there and getting' all hot and sweaty with you in front of a bunch of other people."

"Excuse me?" They looked up and Daryl had to force back a curse. It was Luke. "I couldn't help overhearing and if he doesn't want to help you then I'd love to."

Carol looked stunned for a second and then she looked up at Daryl, her eyebrows raised. "Well?"

"Fine." Daryl said in a low menacing voice. He grabbed her hand and started to head off towards the other women but he stopped and turned on the other man, "You best watch yourself Brad Pit. I catch you starin' at my woman's ass again and I'll beat your eyeballs outta your head."

"Jesus, Daryl!" Carol hissed as she dragged him away by the hand. She looked at the guy from over her shoulder, "I'm sorry about that. Thanks for offerin' to help."

The guy just smiled and waved.

"Daryl, what the hell is wrong with you?" She said in a low voice as she stopped about twenty feet away from the group.

"He's been lookin' at you since yesterday." He snapped.

"No he has not! You're just paranoid now because of what happened with Merle. Believe me, no one looks at me like that but you."

He snorted but let it go. He faced the women that were now watching them warily. A few were still giving those dirty looks to Carol.

"Today all you'll be doing is watching. The way I learned was trial and error so consider yourself lucky." Carol called out to the group.

Helen raised her hand and Daryl had to suppress a groan.

"Yes, Helen?" Carol was forcing her voice to remain calm but he could tell she didn't want to address the other woman.

"Do we all get to practice with him?" She asked with a smile that matched the falseness of Carol's tone.

Carol smiled back. "No. But if you want to push it I'm sure we can find someone more suited for you."

Helen dropped the smile.

Carol didn't waste anymore time explaining anything. She had no idea how to teach someone to fight. She turned to Daryl, gave him a nod and then readied herself for his attack. There were a lot of gasps and the occasional squeal from their audience but they didn't let that distract them. They fell into their old rhythm easily. She was able to show them a lot of moves and Daryl, as always, was a skilled instructor. If by instructor you mean, he was good at kicking her ass. But she was able to do a lot and the women seemed impressed.

Several times she would do something that caught him off guard and the crowd would cheer her on, like she scored a point for the girls team or something.

They had been at it for about a half an hour when Daryl got her down, face first and put an arm around her throat. He was crushing her with his weight but the pressure on her throat was all for show. "I'm done. We need to switch out or somethin'." He panted into her ear.

"What? We used to do this for hours. We just got started."

"That was then. It ain't like it was before." He released her throat and she instantly tried to buck him off which only caused him to groan. "Carol, really, this ain't helpin'.

"Oh!" She finally understood what his problem was. "I'm sorry." She laughed.

"This is awful. I'm burnin' your goddamn pants as soon as we get home. It feels like you ain't even wearin' anything down there." He growled.

"Well then, get off of me and maybe Michonne and that guy can do a little." She couldn't help but keep laughing.

"I ain't standin' up!" He groaned again.

"Oh, sorry. Just sit up and then sit down like we're takin' a break or somethin'."

He did and she finally rolled over and sat up, crossing her legs the same way he did. "Your turn Michonne!" She called, stealing a glance at the glowering Daryl.

Michonne jogged over to where they were sitting and handed Carol her water bottle. "Who am I fighting?" She asked, looking from one face to the other.

"What about Luke?" Daryl asked innocently. He really just wanted to see the guy get beat up by a girl.

"Are you serious?" She asked, looking as though she was hoping they were not.

Carol sighed and reached for Michonnes hand and let the other woman pull her up. She brushed the dirt off the back of her pants and turned to look at Daryl. "Now she's really gonna kick my ass cause I've just had to fight you for the past thirty minutes."

He just shrugged. "You made me do this."

"I had no idea you would find it so exciting." She looked at him pointedly and he felt his face grow hotter.

"Go away, Carol." He grumbled.

Daryl watched the women walk away, mumbling about how evil women were. They talked for a few minutes and then nodded to one another. He was sure that this was going to be a whole new show for the crowd, and himself. Michonne was more experienced than Carol. Anyone could tell just from the way she carried herself. Not to mention, he had been the one to teach Carol how to fight. He wasn't a pro. He'd been in his fair share of brawls but that was it. He fought when he had too and picked up skill along the way. Then he passed those skills onto her. But Michonne was a different breed of fighter. He had seen her in the prison yard. She was into martial arts or something. He didn't know shit about that stuff so he was pretty sure Carol was getting into something way over her head. He didn't feel bad about it though because if Michonne could teach her that stuff then she would be even more capable of protecting herself than she already was and he was for anything that would eventually keep her safe.

The women circled each other a few times and for a moment he was reminded of how they had been that day with the Walkers. He was excited to see what they could do. There was something in sync with them that was a strange thing to witness.

Michonne started tightening the circle. The crowd was silent and wide eyed. Even Beth and Maggie were entranced. Kenzey was even there now, clinging to Merle's leg as she watched.

Michonne spun around, seeming to lift into the air and came so close to kicking Carol in the face that Daryl found himself jumping up, but at the very last minute Carol ducked, falling into a position that looked like a crab walk. She snaked her leg through Michonnes and pulled back causing the other woman to fall. And then it was chaos. As soon as Michonne hit the ground Carol was on top of her but Michonne's ground game was spot on. Nothing Carol did could faze the other woman after that. They were both fast but Michonne was faster.

Eventually Carol started absorbing Michonnes movements instead of just trying to win with brute force. And that's when the dance started. Just like in the ally, as soon as Carol stopped focusing on the fight and started focusing on Michonne she realized that she could do it. When Daryl pulled his eyes from the women to look over at the crowd there were over twenty people gathered there watching. Carol still wasn't as good as Michonne but she stopped getting her ass kicked after that. It seemed like they both knew exactly what the other was going to do before either of them did anything.

It seemed like a long time passed when they finally both let their arms drop to their sides. They were panting and sweating, both covered in dust that they had kicked up but they were grinning like two idiots. Daryl laughed to himself, shaking his head.

Rick and some of the other men were making their way towards him and he couldn't keep the smile off his face. Carol and Michonne were walking arm in arm towards the women. None of them, even Helen, were giving either of them a dirty look. They looked like they were eager to learn and started bombarding them with questions as soon as they were in ear shot.

"Looks like you're gonna have to watch yourself after Carol learns all that stuff from Michonne, Daryl." Carl said with a grin.

"Nah, them girls are harmless, kid." Daryl laughed.

Carol was sore all over but it was a good sore. Rewarding. Rick had turned on the electricity in the bar. Someone had suggested a party of sorts, just so everyone could get to know one another better and he had readily agreed. Of course that meant that Carol, Beth and Maggie were the ones in charge of cooking the food but the kitchen in the bar was large so no one was walking on top of one another. And she had to admit that it was a good idea. She figured that one of the reasons her group had lasted so long was because when something happened everyone didn't just fight for themselves. They fought to keep each other alive. When you were fighting for the people you cared about then you fought a little harder.

Michonne was there too but she wasn't very domestic. She apparently couldn't cook. At all. So she sat up on the counter with her legs dangling off and watched the other women as they bustled about the kitchen.

Carol eyed her and smiled. "You know, things would have went a lot different out there if we were competing in a bake off instead of a fight. I would have kicked your ass."

Michonne laughed. It was an infectious sound since it was so rare. Carol loved it. "You're probably right. But that was no competition. That was class. And I didn't kick your ass. You learn real quick."

Carol rolled her eyes. "I wasn't that good. Daryl taught me how to fight like a redneck. You're like a..." She paused and thought of the right word. "A ninja."

Michonne laughed again and this time Beth and Maggie joined in.

Carol looked up. "What? It's true. You pair up a redneck and a ninja in a fight and the damn ninja will beat the redneck every time. I was better matched with Daryl, or hell, even Merle."

Michonne shook her head. "I've been out there for a long time, seen many different groups. Got to know quite a few since all this started. I have to say you people are the strangest I've ever ran across."

"How so?" Maggie asked as she leaned against the counter across from them.

Michonne glanced up at her, her face growing serious. "Your humanity."

The other three women looked at one another, smiling slightly. But then Maggie shook her head. "Ya'll know what me and Merle did. There ain't much humanity in that."

Michonne jumped down from the counter. "That's not true. That had to be done. You did it to keep the same thing from happening to someone else. You may have let the animal take over while you were doing it but the end result is the same. You couldn't stand the thought of what those men did. You couldn't stand the thought of it happening again. That is humanity. You people care."

"You girls think we've made Dale proud?" Carol asked, feeling more choked up than she should have.

Beth smiled. "I know we have."

Michonne popped a chip into her mouth and leaned back against the counter. "I gotta say, even Merle is pretty human now."

This caused them all to laugh again.

Since there had to be someone manning the wall at all times Rick, Tyreese, and Axel were not there with everyone else when the women finally emerged from the kitchen. Daryl and Glen were missing too, on patrol. The rest of the town, however, were all there. Later the younger group would take their shift while the older ones broke out the stronger drinks that were found in the bars basement. That usually wasn't something Rick would be okay with but the teenagers were good enough to be trusted, as long as not all the adults ended up drunk. Kenzey was having a sleepover with Beth and Jodie so Carol was a little nervous.

She trusted Beth completely, it was just strange knowing that the girl wasn't going to be in her bed. They started bringing out the food and drinks and everyone pitched in. Even Helen offered her a timid smile. She smiled back and was glad that the other woman seemed to be over her initial dislike of her. Carol had never done anything to the woman to cause the dislike in the first place.

"Looks like somebody got over themselves after seein' you kick so much ass this mornin'." Emily said from beside her.

Carol looked down and grinned. "I got my ass kicked. Twice." She laughed.

Emily snorted. "That wasn't you getting your ass kicked, darlin'. You made me proud out there. Can't wait till I can learn a few tricks."

"I can show you a few tricks." Merle said from behind her, causing her to laugh and smack the hand that he slid around her waist.

Carol was almost stunned speechless. Merle was really coming around. She was proud of him. They hadn't had a chance to talk about anything that had happened and other than the other day she hadn't had much time with him at all. She really did miss him.

The men had pushed the tables together in one long row. It was hard to keep track of all the conversations. They learned that the two brothers, that Daryl detested, were actually from California, which hadn't surprised anyone. They had been visiting family in Florida when everything had happened and they were the only two left out of their original group.

Everyone told their stories and enjoyed the food. Carl, Ben, Adam and Jodie left out with the younger boy and girl from the Woodbury survivors shortly after the festivities began They ate quickly and then hurried out the door. None of them complained. They were eager to do their jobs.

Carol didn't even have to look up to know that Daryl entered the bar. She could just sense him there. She waited until he sat down in the empty chair that Ben had abandoned before looking at him. She couldn't help but smile. "How's the fence?" She asked

He just shrugged and nodded to Maggie who handed him a plate of food. "As good as it ever was I'm guessin'. We fixed the part that was breached. The kids know what to look for now."

After the food was all but gone Merle and Glen, as unlikely as that pair was, found an old C.D. Player behind the bar and set it up. Rick brought up the alcohol and everyone cheered like they were at their high school prom. Glen tossed aside several discs and then finally handed one to Merle who smacked him on the back and laughed. It was a culmination of classic southern rock songs. It was right up Merle's ally and when the music began to play the whole room grew still once more. It had been a while since most of them had heard music, other than Beth when she was in a singing mood. It wasn't a sentimental song at all, One Way Out by the Allman Brothers, but you would think everyone was listening to the most sacred symphony known to man. Daryl was the first one to break the weird mood. He laughed and shook his head as he lined the bar with shot glasses, a lot of them, and started messily pouring drinks.

Carol had never been much of a drinker. She could count the times she had ever drank alcohol on one hand and she wouldn't even need all her fingers to do so. But this was suppose to be a celebration on sorts so she went ahead and picked up one of the glasses. Daryl, Merle and Glen were on the opposite sides of the bar than everyone else and they picked up a glass as well.

Glen sputtered and turned red faced after he took his shot but Merle and Daryl barely made a face. She was afraid she would have the same reaction as Glen, which she did. Daryl was lucky he didn't end up with a face full of it because she was sure she wasn't going to be able to swallow it. It lit her mouth on fire as soon as it touched her lips. But she managed to swallow it down without coughing as bad as Glen. Emily was like an old pro.

"This ain't nothin'." She mused as she ran her finger around the rim of the glass. "You should taste some of the stuff my granddaddy used to make. That wouldna knocked ya'll on your asses."

Daryl poured another and laughed. "No shit? Merle, didn't you used to get your shine from around those parts?"

Merle nodded. "Yep. That's how I knew she was trouble from the minute she told me where she was from."

Everyone was having a good time. She had never been to a real bar before and she figured it wouldn't have been much different than this. Voices were carrying farther as the night wore on and even though she only took a few more drinks she was starting to feel pretty dizzy. She caught herself smiling a lot for no reason at all and then she would get self conscious about it which seemed silly so she would start grinning again.

"Are you drunk?" Daryl asked from right beside her. She hadn't even realized he had moved from around the bar.

"Of course not. One of us has to be the responsible adult, and you've had a lot more than me." She was dismayed at how slurred her words were coming out. Maybe she had had more than she thought.

"Oh my God!"

They both turned their heads to look at Emily. She was staring at something at the back of the bar with wide eyes. They followed her gaze and her, Daryl and Merle started laughing, much too loud as far as Carol could tell.

Helen was all over someone in the corner by the stage. "Who the hell?" Maggie asked as she came to stand next to Glen.

"Holy shit!" Merle said between bouts of laughter. "It's little Axel! She's gonna chew that poor bastard up and spit him out!"

Carol leaned her back into Daryl's chest. "Well, Dixon. Looks like she's moved on. And just think, that could have been all yours." She giggled and then hiccuped.

"Thank God." He grumbled.

Carol decided to leave her friends and mingle a little. She talked to Tara for a while and realized that she really did like the woman. Tara and Helen had been friends since they had been in high school and before everything had gone to hell she had been a nurse in the neonatal care unit of a hospital in Michigan. Carol was excited to learn that there was someone else that had medical training in their growing group. It would surely be good news to Hershel.

Luke and Damon's story was pretty fascinating as well. They had both moved to California from Arkansas to pursue acting careers that never went any further than a few commercials, but it was still impressive. Carol had never met any famous people before. She was also surprised to learn that they were both pretty funny. They both tried to one up the other with embarrassing stories. They had been residents of Woodbury since they had stumbled upon the town months before. She wasn't sure why the Governor had kept them around but she was glad he had. Neither brother had ever actually talked to Merle before but they remembered seeing him around.

Luke and Damon both looked over her shoulder nervously. "Your husband don't like us very much does he?" Luke asked.

She turned and looked and noticed Daryl coming their way, not looking much happier than he had earlier in the lot behind the building. Rick was with him, he looked to be in a much better mood than she had seen him in in a very long time. Since before the prison.

"Havin' fun?" Daryl asked in her ear as he put his hands at her waist.

"Actually, yeah. This is great. Did you know that I've never been to a bar before?" She asked as she covered his hands with her own.

"I coulda guessed it." He said lightly.

"Carol!" Rick yelled as he pulled her away from Daryl and crushed her in a hug. "Carol, does that man of yours tell you how amazin' you are?" He asked.

Wow. He was very drunk. She laughed and pulled back a little. "Yeah, he does, believe it or not."

"Good." He stressed as he gazed down at her with heavy lidded eyes. "Because its true."

"Thank you, Rick." She tried to hold in another giggle but it didn't work. This caused Rick to laugh along with her, even Luke and Damon joined in.

Daryl took her hand and pulled her to his side. He was trying not to laugh himself. "Your drunk, Rick."

"I am. I am very drunk. That brother of yours. That damn Merle Dixon. He challenged me, Daryl. Challenged me to a game of quarters." He swayed on his feet and Damon helped him right himself again. "And I beat that bastard. He's passed out behind the bar."

This caused another bout of laughter and then the conversation glided to other topics the way conversations usually do. Daryl was inching her towards the door but she kept getting stopped. Everyone had something to say to her or a question that hadn't been asked yet.

"I'm about to just put you over my shoulder and carry your ass home. Do these people ever shut up?" Daryl growled in her ear.

She laughed and leaned into him more than she needed too. "Everyones nice, Daryl. Can't you just relax and have a good time?" She teased

"That's what I'm workin' on, damn it. But I can't get you out the door without somebody else tryin' to get your attention."

"You're antisocial, you know that?" She said as she turned and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I do. But I think I just heard Rick challenge Tyreese and the guys to a dance off and I don't wanna be here for it. There's only so much shame a man can watch, I draw the line right there."

Carol grimaced. "You're right. We should get the hell out of here. Tomorrow mornin' they are all gonna want to throw themselves off the roof if they remember doing something like that."

She took his hand and they slipped out the door unnoticed. The air felt good on her face. It was still pretty warm but there was a breeze. "How much did I drink?" She asked as she sat down on the step and pulled him down with her.

He sat down next to her and took her hand. "Enough." He laughed.

"I guess. It was nice though, having everyone together like that." She sighed sadly which had him looking over at her with a frown.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he put an arm around her.

The door opened then and Luke and Damon came out. She could hear Daryl growl low in his throat. The brothers were followed by Emily and Rick, Maggie, Glen. It seemed like everyone but Merle, who was passed out behind the bar, needed to get some air.

"Son of a bitch." Daryl grumbled.

Carol acted as though she didn't even see the others. She was looking inward now, that sad smile playing at her mouth. "I was just thinking about everyone that didn't get this far. Ya know?"

He nodded and then frowned as Luke sat down on the step below them. "You mean the ones from your group?" He asked, looking up at her. Everyone was standing pretty close together now and her words carried.

"Yeah. A lot of good people." She smiled. "Dale would have loved this place."

"Would you tell us about them?" Luke asked and she felt Daryl stiffen at her side.

Suddenly she felt like doing just that. She gave Daryl a smile. A real one so he would know that she was okay. And soon she launched into a tale from what seemed like an eternity ago about a ragtag group camped out at a quarry. Those that had never gotten to meet them listened to her story intently as those that already knew the tale smiled on fondly, lost in their own memories of their fallen friends. She talked for a long time as Daryl sat silent and watchful by her side, his fingers intertwined with her own.


End file.
